Research Behind The Exhibition
Research Proposal
ANNA ROBERTS
Introduction
Using the lens of transdisciplinarity, this project aims to highlight innovative research into brain tumours from a wealth of perspectives, concerning my own: as a practitioner, young carer and art historian, and expert insight from neuroscientists, botany enthusiasts, AR experts and sound designers. All these insights will provide a transcendence among their own boundaries into the discussion of brain pathology.
The concept and outcome of my project is to develop a virtual exhibition that features installations conveying the development of a brain tumour, through the growth of a water plant, called a Bacopa Monnieri. My research for this project, aims to highlight innovative treatments for the brain tumour Glioblastoma and the insightful discussions about the manifestation of this particular brain tumour.
Background
Glioblastoma Multiforme, is the most malignant and aggressive form of brain tumour (Duma. 2016), with an average survival rate of 12 to 18 months (Houston Methodist, 2019). The first record of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) was by Hippocrates who coined the term in the late Palaeolithic era (Brem. and Abdullah. 2017). Since its first medical description, there is still no cure to date. Neurosurgeon Dr Christopher Duma claims that there has been no significant development in treatment within the past 30 years, as reported in 2016 (Duma, 2016). In recent years, there has been a variety of investigations into treatments of Glioblastoma, however there is a lack of awareness into these current discussions within the wider public; due to the focus on the lack of a known curative treatment.
Compared to the majority of brain tumours, GBM operates differently, in which symptoms first arrive later on in the development; thus, making it difficult to diagnose early. Some of these symptoms include: headaches, seizures and paralysis on one side of the body (Britt. and Rogers. 2018). In recent years, there has been more traction regarding knowledge around this tumour.
Dr Christopher Duma, describes how the majority of brain tumours grow like a snowball (Duma. 2016); however, Glioblastoma has a specific source which spreads out like a weed in the brain, so much so that the tumour becomes part of the brain (Duma. 2016). In many cases this tumour becomes inoperable due to its fast spreading nature (Duma. 2016). This poses many questions regarding treatments and cures for this tumour. The lack of advancements, also questions the scientific approach into the investigation of this cancer. Why is the only development within the last 10 years is a new drug introduced to prolong the survival of 2 months? (Duma. 2016). And why has there been no recent, significant developments? This has been a crucial question into my investigation.
Recent research has established that the Bacopa Monnieri plant contains anti-cancerous properties that can inhibit the proliferation of Glioblastoma cells (Athni. 2017). Therefore, providing further context to my art installation and the reasoning behind choosing this plant.
Within contemporary art and science discussions, many artists use their experiences of illnesses and medical imaging, in order to understand the complexities and the intangible nature of the brain. I aim to further build on this, by bringing my own perspective, to create visual imagery that addresses this insightful research and the insidious nature of this brain tumour.
The Question
Based on this insightful research, it highlights a key question within medicine, regarding the lack of transdisciplinarity. Based on Athni’s research, it highlights the possibilities of botany and plant science within medicine, and how we can use plants to provide further insight on medications and treatments for complex conditions such as this brain tumour.
I claim that research into brain tumours is heavily underfunded compared to other cancers such as breast cancer. 1% of the national spending on cancer research is allocated for brain tumour research (ITV. 2021). Despite the lack of funding for brain tumours, the condition affects more people under the age of 75 that women under 35 with breast cancer (Brain Tumour Research. 2016)
Due to the pandemic, art institutions have created online exhibitions, however I have noticed a gap in user engagement through this method. Many art galleries use 360 cameras to film in-house exhibitions, that allow visitors to navigate through the rooms; however, I would argue there is a lack of physical engagement.
Through identifying this gap in user engagement, I aim to create an immersive virtual exhibition that draws in a multisensory approach.
Benefits of the Project
When communicating this research within an artistic capacity, it allows for a degree of accessibility to the public. The basis of this exhibition relies on the visual metaphor of the plant, echoing the invasiveness of the tumour; despite, the paradoxical element, that the plant can also cure this tumour.  I find these visual metaphors can enable user experience and further engagement. ‘Ordinary words covey only what we know already; it is from metaphor that we can best get hold of something fresh (Aristotle. 350 B.C.E, part 10, line 9).Â
Through translating medical discussions and rendering them into an artistic space, it creates a usable device for audiences to comprehend the intricacies of the brain.
By creating this artistic space within a digital exhibition, it allows for international engagement, and thus wider discussions into the possibilities of transdsicplinarity within medicine and possible interventions between botany and medicine, that stems further than pharmaceuticals.
Description of the Work
Within the virtual exhibition, it will feature various experiments that I have worked on through the course of this degree. These experiments reflect my insights into this brain tumour, through various pieces of visual imagery.
Some of these include experiments with cyanotype printing, digital illustration and clay modelling. The exhibition itself, will enact as a pilot exhibition, in order to build on feedback and further progress to a final outcome that will feature my main installation pieces.
One key piece that acts as the centre for this exhibition, is my resin, brain sculpture, that features a dried sample of the bacopa monnieri plant. Through using the material of resin, it exposes the inner workings of the brain, due to the material transparency. The use of resin, evokes this introspective outlook, as the audience is able to see into the mind. Through casting the bacopa monneiri plant within the brain, it reveals this paradoxical element, of the plant echoing the functioning of the tumour.
Some artists that have influenced my installation concept, is Antye Guenther’s ‘Brain Vases’, as mentioned previously (figure 1) (Guenther, A. 2019). The metaphor of the brain as a vessel is an element that I aim to re-envision in my project by creating a transparent brain sculpture, that allows visitors to see the roots of the Bacopa Monnieri similar to the dendrites of a brain tumour.
Guenther, A. (2019) Brain Vases
FIGURE 1
Tomas Saracenco’s ‘Biosphere’ [figure 2] (Saraceno, T. 2009), offers a similar vision by encasing water plants in transparent bubbles, and connected through a web of ropes, which reflects the interconnectedness of the ecosystem (Buttrose, E. 2014). I found the element of transparency, explores the ability to expose the unknown, of which the brain is considered to be.
Saraceno, T. (2009) Biosphere
FIGURE 2
To emphasise a sense of immersion, due to the exhibitions lack of face to face interaction, a soundscape will accompany the artworks. The theme of the soundscape, will reflect the experience of being inside a hospital, due to the exhibitions environment of a hospital corridor. My aim is to use various sounds from the hospital to create an artistic interpretation of a hospital soundscape and prove an eerie feeling, to echo the daunting experience of a hospital environment.
Artist Sophie Layton influenced my project with her use of soundscapes from hospitals within her piece ‘Bedside Manners’ (figure 3) (Layton, S. 2014). The surreal feeling of these soundscapes, refers to Lewis Khan’s argument that hospitals are similar to a theatre with the sounds seeming like a symphony (Warner, M. 2020) (figure 4); something I aim to convey within my soundscapes.
As user engagement is key to this exhibition, I will also combine an augmented reality filter that will further educate the public visually, on how the brain tumour spreads. Through using the tool of augmented reality, it will allow users a further immersive experience of the brain. I aim to use this AR effect to act as a side piece to the exhibition, and something that individuals can take home with them as a souvenir.Â
I found that FACT Liverpool’s exhibition, ‘Augmented Empathy’ (figure 4) (FACT, 2020) and Nina Sellars’ artwork ‘Scan’ (Sellars, N. 2010) (figure 5), enables this sense of digital engagement. Nina Sellars’ work implemented QR codes that allow visitors to view an animation of the artists’ brain through MRI scans, and to take home with them on their phone (Sellars, N. 2010) (figure 5). FACTs’ ‘Augmented Empathy’ exhibition, used augmented reality that enabled visitors to interact with the exhibition through Instagram’s face filters (FACT. 2020). Using AR and VR for artistic investigation, has also fed into neurosurgery departments within hospitals, by allowing patients to explore their brain in preparation for surgery and to train and prepare surgeons (Fernandes, L. 2019). Therefore, illustrating the advancement for AR within art and medicine.
Methodology
Throughout the research process, I consulted a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative resources, such as scientific journals, news articles, videos, conferences and conversations with experts. Based on these interactions, I discerned a great significance from transdisciplinary collaboration, and the ability to share knowledge within various disciplines, in order to reach a holistic understanding.
Based on my investigation into various pieces of literature, it has lead me to establish three main concepts for my project, concerning interactions with the body, ecology and experimentation.
The interaction with the body, refers to my exploration of brain tumours and the innovative treatments created to inhibit the growth. The theme of ecology refers to the involvement of botany and the process of tumour development that illustrates the competition between species, regarding normal brain cells and brain tumour cells. My project will also explore experimentation through the exploration of various artistic practices.
Some key theoretical frameworks that guided this research process was Giovanni Morelli’s method, which illustrates the importance of focusing on smaller details in order to form an understanding and conclusion; as opposed to the obvious characteristics (Ginzberg. and Davin, A. 1980). When applying this method towards the innovative treatments into brain tumours, it highlights the importance of considering all facets of the tumour in order to reach a treatment. By understanding the small details of tumour functioning, it allows researchers to look beyond the confines of their discipline and explore more innovative treatments. This is an element, I aim to highlight within the exhibition, the ability for the audience to observe the details in how to tumour functions; in order to gain a better understanding. This is demonstrated through the AR filter, that visually illustrates the tumour spread; thus, indicating how valuable details are in tumour treatment.
Another theoretical framework, is Gillian Rose’s four sites of critical methodology (Rose. 2016). In her essay, she states a value on considering various perspectives of a boundary object, concerning my exhibition. By examining the production, the image, its circulation and the audience (Rose. 2016), it creates this holistic and transdisciplinarity observation. By understanding how my artworks are shaped by the audience, the circulation and the production, allowed me to better understand the intent for the exhibition. Within her essay, she expresses a clear importance for the audience, and the need for accessibility (Rose. 2016). Through having a digital exhibition, it allows for a wider audience, but also how the artwork changes with a digital space, over a physical space. For this reason, enhancing the immersive environment was key to retaining engagement through sound and Alternative Reality.
Conclusion
Overall, I wish for my project to engage individuals who are curious about the brain and to provide creative and accessible ways in depicting research into Glioblastoma. I also aim for this project to harness the use of technology, sculpture and sound to create further awareness. I aim to develop this current project into my major project next year and create a digital platform to house my art installations, with the hopes of curating an exhibition for my project in the near future, so long as COVID permits.
Research Proposal - Katie Toulson
My project initially set out to display artworks through a digital lens and curate them in an effective manner. I was unsure of what content I would choose to research at first, due to not being a creative artist myself, however when I was approached by Anna to curate her artworks I was thrilled at the exciting concept of her creations. With Anna coming into this project from a scientific angle, more options were on the table for an exhibition as there were fewer limitations in comparison to a physical exhibition. The intersecting roots of art, science, and technology would allow for an exciting and interesting project.
We ultimately agreed that we would both like to propose and potentially create our own virtual exhibition. Due to the current lockdowns initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic, an in person physical exhibition was unfortunately not possible, yet with our intersecting interest in technology, we decided a virtual exhibition would be the best decision. In response to the lockdowns, many art galleries and institutions launched their own online exhibitions, ranging from Mexican muralists at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City to Jan van Eyck at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium (McGreevy, 2020). From looking at these and similar exhibitions, we took inspiration for what we would like for our own project.
A particular point of inspiration came from FACT’s current ‘FACT Together’ project, in which called upon several artists to create their own artworks in response to their running theme of the living planet (FACT, 2020) . These artworks varied from performances to video games to installations and made Anna and myself realise that we could include whatever we wanted into our own exhibition, we just needed the tools to do so.
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​I began to research creating virtual exhibitions and was met with the premise of learning complex software’s to create the exhibition space we needed. We had the pleasure of speaking to current curators and experts within the field of digital art who informed us of how they created their exhibitions. Many of these exhibitions had been created through software such as the Unity engine and Google Sketchup, yet due to time constraints on the assignment, we agreed it would be best to create our exhibition on a pre-existing website. Upon discovering the ArtSteps website, we were thrilled with the fact we could create our exhibition however we saw fit.
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Through back-and-forth testing and some trial and error, we built our own exhibition based off a hospital ward. This was an idea presented to me during one of the lecturer tutorials from Kayla Owen, and when mentioning this idea to Anna we both thought it would be an amazing inclusion. An element that makes digital exhibitions so exhilarating to produce is the thought that the exhibition could be anything. We played with where to places the images, videos, and wall texts around the gallery space. Whilst this exhibition has been finished to a degree where we are happy with the final outcome, this in no way means this is the entire finished product. In the future, a physical exhibition would be an ideal way to continue the overall project and for this virtual exhibition to act as a mockup.
References
Athni, T. (2017) Abstracts from the ASENT 19th Annual Meeting. Inhibiting the Proliferation of Patient-Derived Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Using Leaf Extract of Bacopa Monnieri. (14) The American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics Inc. pp.811-812 [online]
Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13311-017-0543-x#citeas
[Accessed: 20th October 2020]
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Aristotle. (350 B.C.E), part 10, line 9, Rhetoric. [online]
Available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.3.iii.html
[Accessed: 30th April 2021]
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Buttrose, E. (2014) Highlight: Tomas Saraceno ‘Biophere’ Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art [online] 19th September 2014
Available at: https://blog.qagoma.qld.gov.au/highlight-tomas-saraceno-biosphere-2009/
[Accessed: 14th November 2020]
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Brain Tumour Research (2016) Addressing the historic underfunding of brain tumour research. [online] October 2016.
[Accessed: 30th April 2021]
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Brem, S. and Abdullah, K. (2017) Glioblastoma. Elsevier. London [online]
Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780323476607/glioblastoma#book-info
[Accessed: 10th September 2020]
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Duma. C. (2016) Fighting Glioblastoma Dr. Christopher Duma M.D. TedxCollegeoftheCanyons [online video] 3rd May 2016.
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hErXkeIadsY
[Accessed: 10th September 2020]
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FACT (2020) Augmented Empathy [Exhibition]. Liverpool. 3rd September 2020-14th February 2021
Available at: https://www.fact.co.uk/event/augmented-empathy
[Accessed: 11th November 2020]
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FACT, 2020. FACT Together [online exhibition] 17 May 2020 - 29 August 2021
Available at: https://www.fact.co.uk/event/fact-together
[Accessed 20 April 2021].
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Fernandes, L. (2019) Virtual Reality Enhanses Brain Surgery Training, Preparation and Patient Consultation. University of California San Francisco [online] 8th May 2019
Available at: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/05/414411/virtual-reality-enhances-brain-surgery-training-preparation-and-patient
[Accessed: 23rd October 2020]
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Ginzburg, C and Davin, A. (1980). ‘Morelli, Freud and Sherlock Holmes: Clues and Scientific Method’. History Workshop, No. 9, pp. 5-36.
Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4288283
[Accessed: 30th April 2021]
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Guenther, A. (2019) Selected Works: Brain Vases. [online]
Available at: https://www.aguenth.de
[Accessed: 16th October 2020]
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Houston Methodist (2019) Overcoming Grade 4 Glioblastoma: Ed’s Story [online video] 4th November 2019.
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljKAcJULprg
[Accessed: 10th September 2020]
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ITV News. (2021) Liverpool family’s fight for brain tumour funding after just 1% is allocated to biggest cancer killer of those under 40. [online] 29th March 2021
[Accessed: 30th April 2021]
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Layton, S. (2013) Bedside Manners [online]
Available at: http://www.sofielayton.co.uk/installations.34.html
[Accessed: 15th October 2020]
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McGreevy, N., 2020. The Top Ten Online Exhibitions of 2020. [online] Smithsonian Magazine.
Available at: <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/top-ten-online-exhibitions-2020-180976655/>
[Accessed 24 April 2021].
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Rose, G. (2016). Towards a Critical Visual Methodology, in Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. London: Sage, p.24-47 https://contentstore.cla.co.uk/secure/link?id=1487baa2-aebe-e911-80cd-005056af4099
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Saraceno, T. (2009) Biosphere (PVC rope, nylon monofilament, acrylic, plants, air pressure regulatory, hydration system)
Available at: https://blog.qagoma.qld.gov.au/highlight-tomas-saraceno-biosphere-2009/
[Accessed: 14th November 2020]
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Sellars, N. (2010) Scan [online]
Available at: http://www.ninasellars.com/?catID=28
[Accessed: 5th November 2020]
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Warner, M. (2020) In Lewis Khan’s Theatre, strength and fragility take centre stage. 1845. [online] 29th May 2020
Available at: https://www.1854.photography/2020/05/lewis-khan-theatre/
[Accessed: 5th November 2020]
Portfolio
Visual guide throughout my research process.