Volunteers have been identified for an installation as part of an exhibition, Illuminating the Self (Hatton Gallery & Vane Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne, January 2020) which will explore the experience of living with epilepsy as part of a collaboration with the CANDO project. The exhibition will showcase work from renowned artists Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie.

The installation, entitled Out of the Blue, is Aldworth's response to reading 100 testimonies about living with epilepsy, and to the science which is developing ways to control some focal epilepsies with a combination of brain implants and blue light. Epilepsy is a hidden, often stigmatised and debilitating condition, which affects 1 in 100 people. Community Embroiderers, from diverse backgrounds, have sewn these testimonies, using UV sensitive theatres, onto 100 pieces of Victorian undergarments. Aldworth has used underwear to suggest the hidden side of epilepsy, made public through the sewing and the UV light which will be shone intermittently to highlight the text. Suspended from pulleys and motors, the installation will be programmed to move based on the algorithms of neural networks.

You can follow Susan's progress on Out of the Blue through Facebook.  Search 'Out of the Blue: Susan Aldworth' to find her page. 

A big thank you to everybody who has provided Susan with a personal testimony about living with epilepsy. These unique testimonies are currently being embroidered onto 100 items of white clothing by volunteers including members of the public and students from The Royal School of Needlework for the art installation, Out of the Blue, which will explore the experience of living with epilepsy from many different perspectives.

A big thank you also to all of the embroiderers who are busy working on their item of clothing as part of the Out of the Blue installation.

A wide range of clothing is being used, from historical to contemporary items. It is being donated by British designers, Hawk & Dove Apparel, and the public (including people with epilepsy) - from wedding dresses and veils, men's shirts and Victorian underwear to children's night wear. The eclectic mix of clothing suggests the very individual nature of epilepsy, and the number of garments highlights the fact that 1 in 100 people have some form of epilepsy.

We are complex and our brain, amongst all the parts of our body, is very complex. Some say it will never be completely understood. The brain’s complexity means its development is not always straight-forward and conditions like epilepsy are the result of inopportune mistakes and trauma.

The CANDO research team, Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics, seeks to find a way of helping patients with the most obstinate of epileptic conditions using genetic modification and cells made sensitive to blue light. Bodies are modified, and artist Andrew Carnie follows his interests in boundaries, balance and bodily integrity, with the production of several new lyrical, sensor controlled sculptures, drawings-paintings and a large scale four projector video work entitled Blue Matter. Close observation with the CANDO research team at Newcastle University has led to the work for the exhibition Illuminating the Self.

As of now, we may no longer be contained by our skin and our sense of homeostasis can be controlled by new medical advances via external sources. Detection and reactive action might bring us back to normal via closed loop mechanisms placed in our bodies but whose algorithms are programmed beyond our skin.