Who do you think you are?
23 June 2010
Identity Masquerade invites guests to conceal their own identity, while reflecting on the issues of personality and what makes us who we are, in an evening of music, science, art and culture.
Identity Masquerade
Friday 25 June, 18.30-21.00
Centre for Life, Times Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4EP
This event is FREE, booking essential: call 0191 243 8223 or
book online.
The Identity Project is a nationwide season of activity from the Wellcome Trust, featuring exhibitions, talks, artworks and films exploring who we are and what influences our thinking and understanding of human identity.
As part of celebrations to mark its tenth birthday, Centre for Life is hosting Identity Masquerade - a free adult-only event offering the North East the opportunity to catch screenings and exhibitions fresh from the Identity Project tour. Masks are optional but those keen to embrace the theme can either bring their own or create one on arrival.
Multimedia experience 'Interior Traces' explores how images and imaginings of the brain have radically changed medicine, law and our sense of self. Spanning 130 years, it examines the possible lives of two characters had they lived in Britain in 1906, 2009 and 2030, and raises questions about how our society should regulate brain imaging in the future.
A screening of award-winning short fiction film 'Ex Memoria' will provoke the audience to reflect on how our sense of identity is intricately bound to our memory, and what happens when memories begin to fade. The heart-rending yet uplifting film attempts to capture the experiences of a woman with dementia living in a care home.
And in the spirit of the subject matter, Centre for Life is injecting its own identity to the evening by offering guests the opportunity to extract their own DNA and watch their bodies transform in the funfair mirror arcade. Meanwhile, over in the bar, Life's mixologists have concocted a special identity-themed cocktail to mark the occasion.
The event also showcases Newcastle artist Paul Grimmer and his first showing of 'Continuum', an immersive visual experience set within Life's ten-metre-diameter Planetarium. "Continuum imagines another world," says Paul, "perhaps a microscopic world, like that of a virus or one that is as unimaginably vast as the universe. Viruses are deadly and dangerous, yet highly ordered and beautiful. I am interested in these dualities."
The Identity Project continues at Centre for Life with debates and discussions around the theme of identity scheduled until the end of the month.
Listings of Identity Project events at Centre for Life
Discussion: Genetic testing dialogue day for Key Stage 3 students
Conference and Banqueting, Centre for Life, Times Square, Newcastle NE1 4EP
21 June 2010, 10.00-14.00, FREE for Key Stage 3 students
As knowledge of genetics grows, genetic tests are becoming more widely available. Students get the opportunity to decide what they think about genetic testing and discuss it with others. This event uses materials developed for Inside DNA. Inside DNA was developed by At-Bristol on behalf of Ecsite-uk with funding from the Wellcome Trust and support from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
Booking is essential: contact
Sarah.Robinson@life.org.uk or call 0191 243 8278.
Discussion: Dementia Matters
Conference and Banqueting, Centre for Life, Times Square, Newcastle NE1 4EP
28 June 2010, 13.00-16.00, FREE
Dementia presents a huge challenge to society, both now and increasingly in the future. The Institute for Ageing and Vitality at Newcastle University is leading research into the causes of dementia and is also involved in the development of strategies to care for people with dementia. This discussion workshop offers the chance to hear from experts on dementia from the Institute for Ageing and Vitality at Newcastle University and to share your views.
Booking is essential: contact
Sarah.Robinson@life.org.uk or call 0191 243 8278.
Image: Masquerade. Credit: SperryPhotography on Flickr
