War and Medicine at Wellcome Collection
11 September 2008
Bold, emotive, and informative, ‘War and Medicine’ will focus on modern conflict through the personal experiences of surgeons, soldiers, civilians, nurses, writers and artists. The exhibition will cover a wide range of subjects - from the pioneering plastic surgery techniques first developed during World War I to treat disfiguring facial wounds through to the recent controversies surrounding Gulf War Syndrome and the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
War and Medicine: 22 November 2008-15 February 2009
Press viewing: Friday 21 November, 09.30-13.00 (contact Mike Findlay for details)
Venue:
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
Admission free
Gallery opening times: Tues.-Wed., Fri.-Sat.: 10.00-18.00; Thurs.: 10.00-22.00; Sun.: 11.00-18.00; Closed Mon. (except bank holidays: 10.00-18.00).
Central to the exhibition is the uncomfortable and sometimes paradoxical relationship between war and medicine and the question of their influence upon each other. 'War and Medicine' will show how humankind’s desire to repair and heal is perpetually striving to keep pace with our capacity to maim and kill.
James Peto, Senior Curator, Wellcome Collection commented: “During times of war those who deliver medicine are confronted not only with the worst that human beings can inflict on one another, but also with a whole range of difficult decisions - ethical as well as medical. Concentrating on the modern era, this exhibition looks at some of the extraordinary difficulties faced by doctors, surgeons, administrators, nurses and their patients in war time. It also considers what has been learned from such extreme circumstances and the wider implications for our society and for our health.”
Sourced from major museums and galleries, throughout the UK and overseas, 'War and Medicine' will contain over 200 exhibits - objects, artefacts, and recordings, as well as interpretative material, film and artworks.
Events
To coincide with the exhibition, a lively programme of discussions, debates, film screenings and tours will allow visitors to engage in dialogue with experts from the arts and sciences.
Subjects discussed will include: How do we remember war? What does trauma mean in different cultures? Can 21st-century engineering and technology rebuild a body? Speakers include: Simon Wessely, Director, King’s Centre for Military Health Research, Institute of Psychiatry and Martin Conway, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Leeds.
A full list of events will be issued prior to the exhibition opening. Those confirmed to date include:
Film festival
Saturday 17 January, 17.00-23.30
A free film festival to support the 'War and Medicine' exhibition. Films to be included will explore trauma, keeping well in wartime, the long-term health effects of conflict and more. Featuring films from the Wellcome Library’s collection as well as contemporary animations and real-life accounts.
Remembering War
Friday January 30, 19.00-21.00, Saturday 31 January, 10.30-17.00
£30/£20 concessions
A day-and-a-half symposium to explore how we remember war through science, literature, art and psychology. In partnership with the European Dana Alliance for the Brain.
Public booking information
Tickets: All events are free, unless otherwise stated.
Booking: Phone: 020 7611 2222, email:
events@wellcomecollection.org, or
book online. Booking opens October 2008.
Image: Spreckley (1 of 2), a sculpture from Paddy Hartley's Project Façade series.
Media enquiries
For further details, images, interview requests or to attend the press private view please contact:
Mike Findlay
Media Officer (Wellcome Collection)
T 020 7611 8612
E
m.findlay@wellcome.ac.uk
Notes to editors
'War and Medicine' is the sixth major temporary exhibition at Wellcome Collection, and is the second of a two-part collaboration with The Museum of Man (Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden).
Materials for War and Medicine have been sourced from many museums and galleries including: The Museum of Man (Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden); The Wellcome Library; The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS); Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charite; Brighton Royal Pavilion Art Collection; British Red Cross Museum; Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin; Museum Karlshorst; Imperial War Museum; Hamburger Kunsthalle; Museum of the History of Science, Oxford; National Army Museum; Queen Victoria Hospital; The Royal Collections; Royal College of Surgeons; Royal Logistics Corps Museum; the British Library; The Gillies Archive; The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum.
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
Free to all, Wellcome Collection explores the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future. The building comprises three galleries, a public events space, the Wellcome Library, a café, a bookshop, conference facilities and a members' club.