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The archival afterlife of an artwork
The ‘Would you mind?’ installation was commissioned from artist and writer Neil Bartlett for Wellcome Collection’s exhibition: the Institute of Sexology. The piece took the form of a questionnaire available to visitors in the final section of the show. Samples… Continue reading
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Edith Morgan: a life’s work in mental health
Edith Morgan was a prominent figure in the field of mental health for over 40 years, both in the UK and internationally. Her personal papers, documenting her remarkable career, have just been catalogued and are available to view at the… Continue reading
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Abandoned Goods: the power of creativity on film
Hot on the heels of its Locarno Film Festival success (the Golden Leopard for the Best International Short Film in the Leopards of Tomorrow Competition), Abandoned Goods, a documentary by Pia Borg and Ed Lawrenson, part funded by a Wellcome… Continue reading
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The Adamson Collection Trust archive
I have recently catalogued the papers of Adamson Collection Trust, set up in 1978 to promote the work of British artist Edward Adamson (1911-1996) and the collection of artworks he gathered over the years. The Adamson Collection is a unique… Continue reading
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Dr Colin McDougall and LEPRA
Good news for researchers interested in leprosy: I have recently catalogued personal papers of Dr A. Colin McDougall (1924-2006), a leprosy specialist with previous experience in tuberculosis and internal medicine. He worked closely with the British Leprosy Relief Association (now… Continue reading
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What might you find in Canary Wharf?
The Association of Medical Microbiologists (AMM) was founded in 1983 to further the science and practice of medical microbiology (a branch of medicine concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases). Amongst the recently catalogued papers of the AMM is a… Continue reading
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Edward Adamson: art as healing
I recently catalogued the personal papers of British artist Edward Adamson (1911-1996), donated to the Wellcome Library by his surviving life partner and collaborator, teacher and writer John Timlin. Together with a new website that I curated (‘The Adamson Collection’), … Continue reading
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Healing arts: art and mental health in the Wellcome Library
Until the end of June 2013 the Wellcome Collection is hosting the exhibition Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan, curated by Shamita Sharmacharja. The show is the last one before the planned refurbishment of our temporary exhibitions space starting in August… Continue reading
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Birth: a changing scene. Part II: A controversial figure of man-midwife
Is it a man? Is it a woman? No, it is a man-midwife, a figure that stirred much controversy upon its arrival on the British soil in the beginning of the 18th century. The alleged hermaphroditism of a man-midwife, as… Continue reading