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Rewiring the brain through art and innovation
In Context
What happens when you blend art, innovation, and discussions about the brain? An elegant intersection between art and science can be formed. Rewired, an event organised by Movement for Hope and held at the Royal Geographical Society (London, UK), began with intertwining narrow corridors uplifted by the sound of live jazz music. Embedded in these corridors were stalls featuring information about a range of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. This highly thought-provoking evening, filled with performances and academic talks about neurological disorders, successfully combined complex neurological ideas with innovative technologies and live performances. The first dance–science performance, by Madison McGrew, was intriguing but initially confusing, as it lacked obvious context between her dancing and the simultaneous projection of an animation in the background, which seemed to tell the story of neuronal protein synthesis and aggregation. Perhaps too abstract for myself, I viewed the next performances with a rewired brain in the context of entertainment and arts as opposed to critically reviewing the aspects of science presented. By doing so, Rewired did not fail to impress. In the first presentation, Nikhil Sharma, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (London, UK), introduced basic ideas of neurological anatomy and interaction between the motor cortex and motor neurons, and the effects on movement when these core components go wrong, leading to diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and primary lateral sclerosis. Following this talk was a dance by Sophie Adams, performed in sync with music by violinist Fiona McLean-Buechel, that beautifully illustrated the complex commands the brain has to execute to ensure accuracy of movement. Placing this talk and the dance into context was Miles Pilling, who has primary lateral sclerosis. Pilling shared his extraordinary and heart-warming story working as a healthy cameraman before he developed and was diagnosed with primary lateral sclerosis. His determination to not give up on his passions, but to now capture unique perspectives through photography from his mobility scooter endows a powerful message to the public. Rewired also featured Adam Kampff, a neuroscientist based at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at University College London (UK), who thoughtfully discussed artificial intelligence compared with human intelligence. He posited that the human brain was not an engine that
could be likened to a machine, but instead considered an “ingine”—ie, the medium of ingenuity. Further provoking the thoughts of the audience, Kampff described how innovative technology such as virtual reality might be used to map and monitor the activity of neuronal circuits in the human brain. Following from the talk by Kampff was a live dance performance choreographed by the dance company Tanztheater Adrian Look. This performance, titled Seize the Day, tells a story about four patient advocates with different neurological disorders, and how their unexpected diagnosis rewires their perspective on life. The beautifully choreographed dance infused with dramatic lighting conveyed the emotional journey from despair to hope that individuals with neurological disorders can experience. Among other inspirational speakers was Sue Austin, a wheelchair user and an acclaimed performance and installation artist, who presented her diving and flying wheelchairs. Austin’s art challenged the stigma disabled individuals face and empowered those who are confined by their immobility through a series of short videos and photography underwater. Austin describes these experiences as “360° freedom”. Ironically, the presentation on aphasia was spoken out loud by Stephanie Wilson and Celia Woolf, both from City University of London (UK). Wilson and Woolf brought the Rewired event back to the scientific aspects, describing incidence statistics and speech and language therapies that included the use of virtual reality. The final talk by Edward Wild, a consultant neurologist from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, touched upon Huntington’s disease and the final live performance by Highly Sprung delivered an engaging and powerful choreography that envisioned the individual dancers as DNA base pairs of the mutant HTT gene, repeating the sequence CAG more than 36 times. With such a grand finale, Wild provided a glimpse of hope for those with Huntington’s disease, and the message from Rewired remains positive: by rewiring our brain through art and innovation we can engage in awareness and education, and support research for neurological disorders. Beyond 2017, Movement for Hope has hinted during the closing speech that plans for future Rewired events, which would continue to combine both art and science together, are already in motion for 2018.
Paul Kiet Tang
Art and Science Rewiring the brain through art and innovation
Lancet Neurol 2017 Published Online April 12, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S1474-4422(17)30120-5 Rewired: The Brain, Art and Innovation Royal Geographical Society, London, UK March 10, 2017 For more on the Movement For Hope see http://www. movementforhope.org/ For more on Miles Pilling’s photography see https:// scootershooter.co.uk/ For more on Seize the day see http://www.lookatmovement. co.uk/seize-the-day/ For more on Sue Austin’s underwater wheelchair performance see http://www. wearefreewheeling.org.uk/sueaustin-home For more on Highly Sprung see http://www. highlysprungperformance.co.uk/ home
Paul Kiet Tang
www.thelancet.com/neurology Published online April 12, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30120-5
1
What happens when you blend art, innovation, and discussions about the brain? An elegant intersection between art and science can be formed. Rewired, an event organised by Movement for Hope and held at the Royal Geographical Society (London, UK), began with intertwining narrow corridors uplifted by the sound of live jazz music. Embedded in these corridors were stalls featuring information about a range of neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. This highly thought-provoking evening, filled with performances and academic talks about neurological disorders, successfully combined complex neurological ideas with innovative technologies and live performances. The first dance–science performance, by Madison McGrew, was intriguing but initially confusing, as it lacked obvious context between her dancing and the simultaneous projection of an animation in the background, which seemed to tell the story of neuronal protein synthesis and aggregation. Perhaps too abstract for myself, I viewed the next performances with a rewired brain in the context of entertainment and arts as opposed to critically reviewing the aspects of science presented. By doing so, Rewired did not fail to impress. In the first presentation, Nikhil Sharma, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (London, UK), introduced basic ideas of neurological anatomy and interaction between the motor cortex and motor neurons, and the effects on movement when these core components go wrong, leading to diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and primary lateral sclerosis. Following this talk was a dance by Sophie Adams, performed in sync with music by violinist Fiona McLean-Buechel, that beautifully illustrated the complex commands the brain has to execute to ensure accuracy of movement. Placing this talk and the dance into context was Miles Pilling, who has primary lateral sclerosis. Pilling shared his extraordinary and heart-warming story working as a healthy cameraman before he developed and was diagnosed with primary lateral sclerosis. His determination to not give up on his passions, but to now capture unique perspectives through photography from his mobility scooter endows a powerful message to the public. Rewired also featured Adam Kampff, a neuroscientist based at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre at University College London (UK), who thoughtfully discussed artificial intelligence compared with human intelligence. He posited that the human brain was not an engine that
could be likened to a machine, but instead considered an “ingine”—ie, the medium of ingenuity. Further provoking the thoughts of the audience, Kampff described how innovative technology such as virtual reality might be used to map and monitor the activity of neuronal circuits in the human brain. Following from the talk by Kampff was a live dance performance choreographed by the dance company Tanztheater Adrian Look. This performance, titled Seize the Day, tells a story about four patient advocates with different neurological disorders, and how their unexpected diagnosis rewires their perspective on life. The beautifully choreographed dance infused with dramatic lighting conveyed the emotional journey from despair to hope that individuals with neurological disorders can experience. Among other inspirational speakers was Sue Austin, a wheelchair user and an acclaimed performance and installation artist, who presented her diving and flying wheelchairs. Austin’s art challenged the stigma disabled individuals face and empowered those who are confined by their immobility through a series of short videos and photography underwater. Austin describes these experiences as “360° freedom”. Ironically, the presentation on aphasia was spoken out loud by Stephanie Wilson and Celia Woolf, both from City University of London (UK). Wilson and Woolf brought the Rewired event back to the scientific aspects, describing incidence statistics and speech and language therapies that included the use of virtual reality. The final talk by Edward Wild, a consultant neurologist from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, touched upon Huntington’s disease and the final live performance by Highly Sprung delivered an engaging and powerful choreography that envisioned the individual dancers as DNA base pairs of the mutant HTT gene, repeating the sequence CAG more than 36 times. With such a grand finale, Wild provided a glimpse of hope for those with Huntington’s disease, and the message from Rewired remains positive: by rewiring our brain through art and innovation we can engage in awareness and education, and support research for neurological disorders. Beyond 2017, Movement for Hope has hinted during the closing speech that plans for future Rewired events, which would continue to combine both art and science together, are already in motion for 2018.
Paul Kiet Tang
Art and Science Rewiring the brain through art and innovation
Lancet Neurol 2017 Published Online April 12, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S1474-4422(17)30120-5 Rewired: The Brain, Art and Innovation Royal Geographical Society, London, UK March 10, 2017 For more on the Movement For Hope see http://www. movementforhope.org/ For more on Miles Pilling’s photography see https:// scootershooter.co.uk/ For more on Seize the day see http://www.lookatmovement. co.uk/seize-the-day/ For more on Sue Austin’s underwater wheelchair performance see http://www. wearefreewheeling.org.uk/sueaustin-home For more on Highly Sprung see http://www. highlysprungperformance.co.uk/ home
Paul Kiet Tang
www.thelancet.com/neurology Published online April 12, 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30120-5
1