May 2013 public engagement events

Professor Roger Kneebone

Our regular scamper through upcoming science and medicine themed events funded through the Wellcome Trust’s public engagement awards.

Imperial Festival, celebrating arts and science, takes place this week (3-4 May) in London. This includes a showcase from Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow Professor Roger Kneebone and Dr Zoltan Takats of a new surgical knife that gives instant feedback to surgeons about the tissue they are cutting into.

Surgery Meets Jazz is an innovative event at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 5 May 4-5pm. Through demonstrations and discussion, Professor Roger Kneebone and musician Liam Noble explore the parallels between surgery and music.

Arnos Vale Cemetary, Bristol, continues its Matters of Life & Death talks:

• From Madhouse to Asylum to ‘Care in the Community’: Three centuries of mental health care in Bristol – 2 May 7.30-8.30pm in the Anglican Chapel.
• The Innards and Outs of Medical Photography – 16 May 7.30-8.30pm in the Anglican Chapel.

‘Under My Skin’, a dance performance by Sadhana Dance Group explores how dance and surgery speak to each other. In this collaboration between choreographer Subathra Subramaniam and surgeon/educator Professor Roger Kneebone (Roger’s doing a lot this month!). The performance uses intricate detail, perfectly timed exchanges and analytical spatial patterns to explore the boundaries between clinical practice and dance. This takes place on 17 May at 7.30pm at the Pavilion Dance Theatre, Bournemouth.

Big Heritage’s Roman Medical Roadshow will feature at this year’s Light Night in Liverpool (Liverpool’s one-night arts & culture festival) on 17 May from 5-8pm at the Museum of Liverpool. This includes Gladiator fighting with fabulous ‘injuries’ courtesy of SoCocoRouge and archaeology workshops for adults with the University of Liverpool.

The Arts Catalyst is opening for a special day on 18 May 12-8pm, for visitors to see videos documenting past projects (such as Simon Faithfull’s Escape Vehicle No 6 and Tomas Saraceno’s Poetic Cosmos of the Breath). Patrick Stevenson-Keating will be demonstrating The Quantum Parallelograph, enabling visitors to explore their parallel identities in work that examines the scientific and philosophical ideas surrounding the theory of quantum physics and multiple universes.

The Southbank Centre is holding a series of events in association with Honeyscribe (an artistic investigation of the honeybee) as part of the London Literature Festival.

• Artist Amy Shelton has produced two works which will be displayed at the Saison Poetry Library from 21 May-14 July. Florilegium illuminates a collection of cultivated and wild plants which are essential to honeybee health and Melissographia is a collaboration with John Burnside, resulting in a limited edition artists’ book.
• A Future Without Bees is a panel discussion on the threat to bees’ survival and the implications for us – they are currently responsible for the pollination of one third of our shopping basket. Chaired by Bill Turnbull, presenter on BBC Breakfast and author of The Bad Beekeepers Club, the debate is at 7pm on 26 May in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
• Contemplating the Honey Bee is a workshop for children led by artist Amy Shelton and beekeeper Steve Benbow about the link between bees and human health. Children will have the opportunity to make a beeswax-coated artwork celebrating the honeybee – 11am, 27 May, Saison Poetry Library at Royal Festival Hall.

On 22 May 7-8.30pm, ‘Teaching your fingers to see’ will take place at the Royal Institution, London. How does a surgeon master his craft or a GP diagnose through palpation? Join a team from Imperial College London led by Professor Roger Kneebone and Fernando Bello to explore the fascinating world of haptics in surgery, medicine and beyond.

Jordan Baseman’s Deadness exhibition will be showing at Matt’s Gallery from 29 May-21 July (Wednesday-Sunday 12-6pm). Deadness is an exhibition of three parts; multiple 35mm slide projections with sound, the film The Last Walk (2011) and a series of new photographic works, exploring the historical, cultural and sociological relationship between photographic portraiture and embalming.

Still on

Melanie Jackson’s The Urpflanze (Part 2) is showing at Flat Time House until 12 May (Thursday-Sunday 12-6pm). In a series of moving images and ceramic sculptures, the installation explores mutability and transformation.

The tour of The Pigeon Theatre’s new performance ’The Smell of Envy‘, a collaboration with Cognitive Neuroscientist Dr Colin Lever, finishes on 17 May here at the Wellcome Trust buildings.

The next event of The False Memory Archive’s tour will be 24 May at the Mead Gallery, University of Warwick, showing artist Hopwood’s work in collaboration with psychologist Dr Kim Wade.

Advanced notice

Cheltenham Science Festival takes place from 4-9 June. Professor Roger Kneebone will be holding two events – Who Holds the Scalpel explores the ethics and challenges of training as a surgeon, and Ethics at the Cutting Edge looks at the decision of making new technology everyday practice. .

JULIUS, a multi-screen film produced by Elastic Theatre, will premiere at Spitalfields Music Festival from 7-14 June. The film explores the nature of obsessional thoughts and the superstitious beliefs associated with them. .

Jon Adams, an artist in residence at the Autism Research Centre, will be giving a performance and talk at the Arts Catalyst on 14 June.

The next presentation of Tales from Babel – Musical Adventures in the Science of Hearing from The Clerks music group will be at the Cheltenham Music Festival on 7 July.

If you are inspired to go along to any of the activities listed here, leave a comment below and let us know what you thought!

Thanks to our Engaging Science colleague Lois Browne for the info.