‘Memory Trace’ at the Wellcome Trust
20 June 2012
Delicately sculpted from historical illustrations of the brain found in the collections of the Wellcome Library, Chong Kwan's landscape presents a sinuously beautiful account of the city. By featuring landmarks used by taxi drivers as navigational points, the artist links the capital's urban topography with connections generated by memory.
'Memory Trace' is inspired by the research of Professor Eleanor Maguire of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL, which shows that the process of acquiring 'the Knowledge' - the complex layout of central London's 25 000 streets - causes structural changes in the brains of taxi drivers.
During the day, Chong Kwan's panorama presents the familiar skyline of the buildings and attractions that make up the city, but a closer inspection reveals an intricate collage of historical drawings and paintings: attempts to record and visualise the workings of the brain.
At night, LEDs map out the journeys frequently taken by taxis and reflect the creation of new neural pathways. The landscape, photographed from models put together by the artist, carries the life of the city and the physical matter of our apprehension.
Clare Matterson, Director of Medical Humanities and Engagement at the Wellcome Trust, said: "Gayle Chong Kwan's 'Memory Trace' is a map of both the city and the mind, an exploration of the way in which we experience and navigate landscapes and a beautiful panorama of London. The unlikely combination of illustrations of brains from the Wellcome Library and familiar tourist landmarks will allow passers-by on Euston Road to see their city afresh."
The London landmarks in 'Memory Trace' include Buckingham Palace, Battersea Power Station, the Houses of Parliament and Canary Wharf.
'Memory Trace' runs until June 2013 at the Wellcome Trust, 215 Euston Road, NW1 2BE.
Image: An image of Canary Wharf created using ‘Acupuncture chart of the head’ by Zhang Jiebin (1621-27). Credit: Gayle Chong Kwan, Wellcome Images.
Contact
Tim Morley
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Notes to editors
About the Wellcome Trust
The
Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust's breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.
About the Wellcome Library
The Wellcome Library is one of the world's major resources for the study of medical history, and provides access to a growing collection of contemporary biomedical information resources relating to consumer health, popular science, biomedical ethics and the public understanding of science. The Library is situated within
Wellcome Collection, a free visitor destination for the incurably curious. Located at 183 Euston Road, London, Wellcome Collection explores the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future.
