- Venue
- Shoreditch Town Hall
- Location
- London
In a collaboration between Art and Science, Ania Dabrowska and Dr Bronwyn Parry come together to present ‘Mind Over Matter’, an exhibition that addresses issues such as memory, brain donation and dementia. It aims to expel the ‘veil of secrecy that has historically surrounded the practice of bodily donation’ and instead bring to light the truths behind brain donation and dementia in the present day.
I arrived at Shoreditch Town Hall at what must have been around ten past twelve. It is the final day of the exhibition and despite the opening time being at twelve, there is no one around. I am advised to take a seat and wait. Surrounded by Victorian grandeur and with the buzz of final wedding preparations to my left, I am somewhat confused by this environment that I have found myself in. It is all a bit bizarre and seems to be in stark contrast to the exhibition I came to see, described in the press release as ‘A revolutionary photography exhibition featuring portraits of brain donors’. It seems anything but ‘revolutionary’.
When the exhibition doors do finally open, I am lead out of the building and directed to a set of worn stone steps that descend to a small doorway beneath the main entrance. Am I entering a public toilet? The exhibition itself is housed in the basement, a dark underbelly to the interior I experienced upstairs. A labyrinth of tunnels snake their way around, connecting small rooms, the original purpose of which is not yet established. There is a concrete floor that occasionally gives way to a more primitive earth floor. The brick work is exposed and crumbling, it is dimly lit in places and haunting voices echo throughout the space. Portraits of the donors and their personal photographs are shown alongside micrographs, lab coats and freeze boxes.
Some of the rooms contain pieces of furniture draped with white sheets; there is a ghostly sense of loss and finality about them. They are a part of the installation, ‘Lacunae’, which also includes hanging crochet doilies, ghostly in nature. Apart from the title, lacunae, meaning a gap or missing part, I fail to see how this installation is a necessary part of the exhibition. It seems to neither celebrate the life lead by the donors nor the ‘life’ their brains will go on to lead. It exists within a sort of limbo, perhaps acting as a feeble attempt to represent the transitional phase between the two ‘lives’. At most, it does little more then add to the atmosphere of the place.
The location was specifically chosen in an attempt to ‘evoke a phenomenological experience of what it might feel like to lose one’s memory’. I found the space to be uncomfortable and uninviting. Visitors creep around each door, unsure and uneasy. It feels intrusive. I would certainly say the space therefore succeeds in exploring what it might feel like to lose one’s memory but is it really an appropriate backdrop for the celebration, emphasis being on celebration, of bodily donation? I do however feel that the surroundings are coherent with the idea of loss. The pitted walls echo how a brain affected by vascular dementia might look, the uneven ground repetitive of this notion of decay. The faded and distorted family photographs evoke feelings of nostalgia. Sheets of transparent photographs hang down, obstacles to be navigated, and as you wonder around, there is the taste of dust and decay in the air. It is a multi-sensory experience that the visitor has unwittingly entered into, as the environment almost becomes an interactive piece in its own right. It is an installation that immerses the visitor; they are no longer a viewer but an active participant in the journey.
One series in particular caught my eye. ‘That Moment When You Forgot Your Best Friend’s Name’, depicts a number of Micrographs showing brain tissue that is affected by dementia. This coupling of a highly direct, personal and emotive title, with imagery that is systematic and analytical, really highlights the attachment of a mind to the physical matter. It is effective in imposing a sense of identity onto the bodily organ and is perhaps the most evident example of collaboration between Art and Science within the exhibition.
The sound piece, ‘Memory Ends’ is in collaboration with composer and sound designer, Gaetano Serra and it is also central to the exhibition. It is a collection of audio narratives that become records of the donor’s personal histories and their sometimes fragmented memories. Their voices echo through the space, almost as if they themselves are guiding you around the exhibition. It is an intimate insight into their lives in which the visitor is allowed to feel closer to them, just one of many communication devices that Debrowska uses to construct ‘a layered contemplation about the nature of memory loss’. This repetitive reinforcement of ideas is something that I think works well within the exhibition.
The anonymity that is usually attached to bodily donation suggests that topics such as memory loss, brain donation and dementia are ones that people sometimes find difficult to discuss. The fact that ‘Mind Over Matter’ openly addresses these topics is somewhat shocking and it places the visitor in uncomfortable positions, which in some ways, does makes it revolutionary.
The ‘shock tactic’ has long been a big player within the contemporary Art world, sex and violence being among some of the most widely explored controversies. As society becomes desensitised they become less of a taboo and therefore are less shocking and less effective in conveying meaning. Does this make them a little out-dated? Is a more subtle approach such as in ‘Mind Over Matter’ the future for ‘shock’ within contemporary Art?
And so I revisit my initial question, is the exhibition space really an appropriate backdrop for the celebration of bodily donation? Perhaps the space is simply a forum in which societies present day sensitivities can be dissected and discussed, and the mere fact we are talking about bodily donation and dementia is celebration enough. I personally found this exhibition quite hard to view and whilst I would not praise it as an enjoyable and light hearted experience, and I would continue to question the use of ‘celebration’ as a descriptive term for the exhibition, it certainly resonates as one that was powerful, insightful and very thought provoking.
