Patterns of Perception
University College London, Queens Square Hospital, UAL: Central Saint Martins - Anne Marr, Parkinson’s UK, English National Ballet and Wellcome Trust.
A creative collaboration between individuals with Parkinson’s Disease, aiming to find better ways to dispel misconceptions and communicate real insights into the experiences of those living with Parkinson’s Disease.
In 2019, the group was awarded a grant by the UCL Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund to take part in a creative collaboration with individuals with Parkinson’s Disease, Central Saint Martins, English National Ballet, UCL and Ruairiadh O’Connell. Together, we aimed to use the project to find better ways to dispel misconceptions and communicate real insights into the experiences of those living with Parkinson’s Disease.
A series of workshops ranging from textiles to dance and art explored the experience of Parkinson’s Disease. During these workshops, participants created visual diaries to reflect on their daily lives. They also worked with us to generate a vocabulary of words that epitomised their lived experience of Parkinson’s, identifying common themes: strength, resilience, fear, hope and humour. They used these words to paint textiles with these themes and as focus points in dance. After the workshops, they told us that by taking part, they felt empowered to tell their story, and it allowed them to communicate.
‘We need to tell the story. We really do.’
Margaret Stone, participant
In the UK, two people every hour are diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a progressive neurological condition. Patterns of Perception aims to help us better understand life lived with this disease. It is a collaborative project between a group of individuals with Parkinson’s, Central Saint Martins, English National Ballet, University College London and artist Ruairiadh O’Connell.
In 2019, a series of workshops ranging from textiles to dance and art took place to explore and understand the experience of Parkinson’s. Alongisde those workshops, participants created visual diaries to record and reflect their daily lives. We worked together to create a new vocabulary based on the reccurring emotions and coping strategies that stretched from apathy and acceptance to humour. In response participants translated this text and its motifs into large textile banners and co-designed their own patterns.
Patterns of Perception interweaves science, dance and visual arts to pilot new approaches: musical spiral drawing, visual responsive ballet and hybrid painting-dancing practices. From brain scans to 3D dance scans, participants engaged openly and courageously with every creative challenge.
There is a discrepancy between what people think Parkinson’s disease is and the actual experience of individuals living with the condition. As one participant said:
“I have got something to say if anybody wants to listen.” This exhibition invites you to look closer at these individual journeys.
