Internationally renowned artists Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie created brand new installations at the Hatton Gallery in response to the CANDO project. Visitors to the gallery were introduced to the world of epilepsy through over 100 hand embroidered garments by Aldworth before being taken deep within the brain by Carnie's giant video work. 

The exhibition opened on Saturday 18th January 2020 and was due to run until Saturday 9th May 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Hatton gallery to close prematurely in mid-March.

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.

Out of The Blue by Artist Susan Aldworth from Alan Fentiman on Vimeo.

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.

A BBC Radio 4 programme Art of Now, The Algorhythms of Epilepsy following the development of Out of the Blue was recorded and is currently available on the BBC sounds app. Click here to listen to the programme. 

The project is indebted to everyone who agreed to write about the experience of living with epilepsy, and to those who embroidered their words. Nicola Swanborough at the Epilepsy Society, Amanda Smith of the Embroiderers’ Guild and Pam Davis at Fulwell Community Resource Centre provided invaluable help with finding contributors and embroiderers. The Victorian underwear garments were sourced by Jade Maclaine at her wonderful shop Hawk & Dove in Hastings. Maria Potter at Madeira generously supplied the threads.

The Royal School of Needlework, and in particular Angie Wyman, helped in countless ways, as did many of its exceptional students. The school also allowed Susan to photograph the finished garments in its apartment at Hampton Court Palace.

A pdf copy of Susan Aldworth's artist book based on her work Out of the Blue is available to download.  The book includes the full testimonies of people living with epilepsy as well as evocative photographs of the embroidered Victorian garments by Peter Abrahams.

A separate pdf, documenting how embroiderers from around the UK responded to the challenge of embroidering the very personal testimony of living with epilepsy onto Victorian garments, is also available to download.

Susan Aldworth artist book download              Out of the Blue Embroiderer's Notes download

Andrew Carnie has made a large-scale new film, Blue Matter, which immerses the visitor in an imagined landscape of the brain. Visual metaphors are created through a combination of drawing and computer animation.

Illuminating the Self (Hatton) - Andrew Carnie from Alan Fentiman on Vimeo.

Interventions within this landscape allude to the science and raise questions over the dilemma of interfering with such beauty. The interventions reflect Andrew's interest in the application of optogenetic technology beyond the CANDO project: "optogenetics research using light to control cells in living tissue may have an impact beyond epilepsy and upon us all".

Blue Matter is supported by a series of sculptures that explore disruption and balance. During an epileptic seizure, the natural rhythms of brain activity are disturbed with the CANDO project seeking to restore equilibrium. In response, Andrew's sculptures involve different objects in changing states. Meteorological balloons, illustrated with brain cells, inflate and deflate, and the lines of light from laser levels are broken and fragmented. In each case, the change is triggered by the sound or movement of exhibition visitors. A still state is unsettled before a period of calm returns.‌

The Hatton Gallery is located at Kings Road, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU.

The gallery is open to the public 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday during exhibitions with free entry.

www.hattongallery.org.uk

Out of the Blue, a limited edition Artists’ book by Susan Aldworth, is available to be purchased.

The book is an edition of only 15 copies containing 120 pages of text and images including 62 highly evocative photographs of the embroidered Victorian garments from the Out of the Blue installation. The garments are modelled by students of the Royal School of Needlework and Maude Hirst and Amy Bailey from the cast of the TV series Vikings among others. The photographs used in the book were taken by Peter Abrahams on location at Hampton Court Palace.

The text includes the full testimonies written by contributing writers about their experiences of living with epilepsy. The book is large format (just under A3) cloth bound with a debossed image and text blocking, printed on fine Italian paper.

The book includes 2 unique, original cyanotype prints, made by Susan Aldworth, especially for this project. Created using the UV rays from direct sunlight in Aldworth's garden, these delicate and ethereal works capture the subtle tones of sunlight and the shadows they cast, whilst also referencing the patterns of a living brain. The development of the book was generously supported by Arts Council England.

The book is available to purchase from Hatton Gallery Bookshop, Newcastle or directly from the artist at saldworth.t21@btinternet.com.