BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE CONFERENCE:
THE CONFERENCE: |
AROUND 300 DELEGATES INCLUDING RESEARCHERS, CLINICIANS, SERVICE USERS AND MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY GATHERED FOR THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH RESEARCH (NIHR) MAUDSLEY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2019 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS. PRESENTATIONS COVERED TOPICS SUCH AS GENETICS AND MENTAL HEALTH, IMMUNE BIOMARKERS IN PSYCHIATRY, TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS, INVOLVING SERVICE USERS IN RESEARCH, PREDICTING TREATMENT RESISTANCE AND NEW THERAPEUTICS FOR A RANGE OF DISORDERS. CONFERENCE DELEGATES HAD A CHANCE TO SEE 12 BRC-FUNDED PROJECTS IN ACTION: I WAS INVITED TO SHOWCASE MY WORK FROM THE ART AND VALUE PROJECT. THE ARTWORKS AND ACCOMPANYING INFORMATION WERE DISPLAYED AND I WAS PRESENT TO TALK TO THE ATTENDEES ABOUT MY WORK AS AN ARTIST RESEARCHER. |
ART AND VALUE: |
IN SPRING 2019, I COLLABORATED WITH DR ANNA KOLLIAKOU, AMELIA JEWELL AND DR BRENDON STUBBS IN THE CLINICAL RECORD INTERACTOVE SERVICE TEAM AT THE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTRE TO PRODUCE A SERIES OF WORK FOR THE BETHLEM GALLERY EXHIBITION ‘ART AND VALUE’. THE MODELS FOR MEASURING VALUE IN THE WIDER HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT ARE VARIOUS AND SEEM SOMETIMES TO CONTRADICT ONE ANOTHER. IN THIS CONTEXT, WHERE MEDICAL MODELS TEND TO DOMINATE, ARTISTIC WORK IS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THE COMPLEX INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN THE MEDICAL AND SOCIAL, OFFERING PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON SYSTEMS THAT CAN AT TIMES FEEL DE-HUMANISING. IN TODAY’S BATTLE BETWEEN WRITTEN LANGUAGE AND VISUAL GRAMMAR, HOW DO WE DECIPHER WHAT MEDICAL INFORMATION MIGHT BE OF VALUE TO US? WHERE IS THE INTERFACE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH – WHICH COMES FIRST AND HOW ARE THEY CONNECTED? YOU CAN SEE THE PIECES AND READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT HERE: |