Bionic eyes and artificial tongues: major new exhibition on personalised medicine opens in Leeds
A major new exhibition exploring personalised medicine will launch in Leeds this week
A major new exhibition exploring personalised medicine will launch in Leeds this week as part of an interdisciplinary project led by researchers in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.
‘You Choose’ opens at the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds on Saturday 20 July 2024 and will run until Sunday 5 January 2025.
The immersive and family-friendly exhibition explores the potential benefits of personalised medicine for health and wellbeing. The curators have worked with leading experts in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures to find out how cutting-edge technologies and inventions, from bionic eyes to artificial tongues, can empower us in taking control of our own health. This exhibition is part of the University of Leeds’ LivingBodiesObjects (LBO) project, funded by the Wellcome Trust. LBO seeks to shape the direction of research in medical humanities and involves partnerships with the Bhopal Medical Appeal, Blueberry Academy, and Interplay Theatre. The project emphasises the importance of experimentation to better understand the relationship between bodies and technologies of health.
The researchers behind LBO are also committed to transforming research environments within universities, implementing considered practices of equity, diversity and inclusion, and exploring innovative ways of supporting career development.
James Stark, Professor of Medical Humanities in the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, said:
“Personalised medicine is an area of huge expansion in health and healthcare, but it has been around for centuries. In the past, apothecaries would mix pills to order, and those who could afford it would have access to a personal physician. It’s been a huge privilege to collaborate with staff at the Thackray on this exhibition, which brings together the past, present and future of choice in medicine and health. Creating something which incorporates cutting-edge approaches in medical humanities and appeals to museum visitors has been such a thrilling experience.”
Dr Jack Gann, Curator of the You Choose exhibition, said:
“We have had an enormous amount of fun going on a journey of personalised medicine and med tech with the LivingBodiesObjects team. It’s been a really rewarding collaboration between a range of academics, creatives, and members of our museum community and has delivered an exhibition that tackles big issues in the future of medicine in a way that is playful and accessible to all.” For more information on the exhibition and to book entry, visit the Thackray Museum website.
