ART AND VALUE:
BACKGROUND:
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IN 2019, I WAS INVITED BY CURATOR MICHAELA ROSS AT BETHLEM GALLERY TO WORK ON A PROJECT FOCUSING ON SYSTEMS OF MEASURE: “WHAT DO WE MEASURE AND WHY?”. I WAS POINTED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE AND ENCOURAGED TO LOOK INTO AREAS OF INTEREST WHICH IS HOW I FIRST CAME ACROSS THE CLINICAL RECORD INTERACTIVE SEARCH AKA CRIS
HAVING RESISTED TAKING ANY MEDICATION FOR MENTAL ILLNESS IN YEARS, AROUND THE START OF THIS PROJECT I BEGAN TAKING SSRI'S (SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS (OR ANTIDEPRESSANTS TO YOU AND I)) . SINCE STARTING THE MEDICATION, I BEGAN TO REALISE HOW DIET, EATING DISORDERS, DEPRESSION, IBS, DIVERTICULAR AND ENDOMETRIOSIS SYMPTOMS ALL BECAME MORE MANAGEABLE. I BEGAN MY OWN PERSONAL RESEARCH INTO THE EFFECTS OF THE MEDICATION, AND REALISED THAT ONE THING THAT COULD LINK ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS WAS MY SEROTONIN LEVELS. ALL THE TIME I HAD BEEN REFERRED BACK AND FORTH ACROSS PROFESSIONALS FEELING UPSET AND FRUSTRATED, I WONDERED WHY NOBODY WAS SEEING THESE CONNECTIONS WHEN THE INFORMATION WAS ALL THERE. I ASSUMED THAT A SYSTEM LIKE CRIS WAS WIDESPREAD AND CONNECTED ALL OF THESE DOTS. I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AND EXCITED ABOUT HOW THINGS COULD PROGRESS IN THE FUTURE WITH THE EXPANSION OF SUCH RESOURCES. THE WORK IN CRIS INCITED MY INTEREST ON THE INTERFACE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS – WHICH COMES FIRST AND HOW ARE THEY CONNECTED? COULD CRIS LEAD TO A NEW CONNECTED WAY OF THINKING THAT GAVE MENTAL HEALTH AS MUCH WEIGHT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH? I WORKED WITH DR BRENDON STUBBS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS AND DR ANNA KOLLIAKOU’S WORK ON MENTAL HEALTH-RELATED MISINFORMATION AND STIGMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA ALSO PEAKED MY INTEREST. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING TO USE SOME KIND OF ALGORITHM TO EXTRACT DATA FROM CRIS AND PRESENT IT AS ART – THE IDEA OF TAKING SOMETHING RANDOM AND MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH IT AND USING DATA IN IMAGERY IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I’VE HAD AN ONGOING FASCINATION WITH THE BATTLE BETWEEN WRITTEN LANGUAGE AND VISUAL GRAMMAR AND I WONDERED: IN TODAY’S WORLD OF VISUAL STIMULATION AND SENSORY OVERLOAD, HOW DO WE DECIPHER WHAT INFORMATION MIGHT BE OF VALUE TO US? THERE SEEMED TO BE A NATURAL CROSSOVER AS BOTH AN ARTIST AND DESIGNER AND HAVING WATCHED PROF ROB STEWART’S VIDEO ON THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN HEALTHCARE DATA, I FELT SECURE AND COMFORTED BY THE ETHICS OF THE TEAM FROM A SERVICE USER’S PERSPECTIVE AND THAT THEY WOULD BE GREAT TO WORK WITH. |
THE WORK:
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WOODEN PIECES:
IMAGES VS WORDS IN COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE. HOW DO WE USE INFORMATION? WHEN DO WE MAKE ROOM FOR DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND INTERPRETATIONS? |
NEUROPLASTICITY:
WHO HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR EDUCATING THE WIDER POPULATION IN OUR ABILITY TO CHANGE OUR BRAIN PATHWAYS? I HOPE THE WORK OPENS DIALOGUES AROUND TECHNOLOGY VS THE ANALOGUE, THE LINKS BETWEEN ART, DESIGN AND MATHEMATICS, THE PROS AND CONS OF TYPOLOGIES/CATEGORIES IN MAKING INFORMATION EASIER TO DIGEST, THE ROLE OF PERSPECTIVE AND THE VIEW OF POSSIBILITIES AND SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN PROBLEMS. |
MACHINE COLLAGES:
HUMANS ARE BASICALLY MACHINES BUT DO NOT HAVE THE SAME APPROACH TO SELF-CARE AS A CAR WHEN IT COMES TO FUEL MAINTENANCE, MILEAGE AND SERVICING. |
OUTCOMES:
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I FELT EXTREMELY LUCKY TO FINALLY BEING ABLE TO GAIN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE AS A SERVICE USER. I WAS BEING GIVEN A VOICE AND MAKING THE INVISIBLE, VISIBLE. I WAS DETERMINED TO USE THE EXPERIENCE AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY, LETTING THE RESEARCH TAKE PRIORITY AND NOT BEING LED BY MY PRECONCEPTIONS INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT EXISTING PROBLEMS, I CHOSE TO FOCUS ON WHAT CHANGES COULD REALLY OCCUR.
THE BEST PART OF THE COLLABORATION WAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THROUGH MAKING ART, TO DO SPECIFIC RESEARCH IN AN AREA THAT I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT AND INVESTED IN. THE POTENTIAL TO FIND A NEW OUTREACH FOR BOTH THE WORK OF CRIS AND MY VOICE AS AN ARTIST IN DIFFERENT CIRCLES WAS REALLY EXCITING. IN FACT, THE PROJECT OPENED UP SO MUCH SCOPE AND BROUGHT UP MANY IDEAS. AS ALWAYS, TIME WAS A GREAT CHALLENGE WE FACED. THAT, AND DATA PROTECTION. I DIDN’T MANAGE TO GET CLEARANCE TO LOOK AT ANY DATA (INCLUDING MY OWN) AND NEVER SEEING THE ALGORITHMS MADE IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. HOWEVER, I AM SURE GRATEFUL THAT THERE ARE ALL OF THESE CHECKS AND SECURITY IN PLACE WHEN IT COMES TO HANDLING MY SENSITIVE DATA! ALTHOUGH I HAD LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF CRIS TO BEGIN WITH, I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THIS IS NOT A WIDESPREAD RESOURCE AS I THINK IT SHOULD BE! I CAN SEE ITS CAPACITY TO LINK DATA ABOUT THE MIND AND BODY, BREAKING DOWN STIGMA AND SHINING LIGHT ON HOW MENTAL HEALTH CARE SHOULD FALL IN LINE WITH PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE. I AM NOW ALSO MORE AWARE OF CRIS AS A RESOURCE TO ALL KINDS OF PARTNERS. IN THE NEAR FUTURE, I WOULD LIKE TO DOCUMENT MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE HELP OF MICHAELA ROSS AND CONTINUE MY COLLABORATION WITH BETHLEM GALLERY. I AM HOPING TO EXPAND THE WORK WITH ROB, ANNA AND THE CRIS TEAM IN THE FUTURE; WE HAVE IDEAS IN THE PIPELINE FOR KING’S FESTIVAL 2020. FINALLY, HAVING JUST STARTED COLD-WATER SEA SWIMMING, I HOPE TO START MAKING SOME WORK ABOUT ITS BENEFITS AND KEEP THE DIALOGUE WITH BRENDON OPEN. OVERALL, I FELT THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PROJECTS FOR ME TO DATE. I WAS WORKING AT THE RIGHT PLACE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME AND NOW I AM EAGER TO DO MORE OF THIS WORK. IN THE WORDS OF MIKE OF THE CONNOR BROTHERS, “I TRY NOT TO THINK IN TERMS OF SUCCESS OR FAILURE, MORE SO, IT’S ABOUT WHAT’S INTERESTING”. |
THE RESEARCHERS:
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PROF ROB STEWART
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DR ANNA KOLLIAKOU
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DR BRENDON STUBBS
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