An art exhibition addressing the stigma behind mental illness and neurodegeneration-related diseases was launched at The Rupert Museum on Saturday 31 October. The project is a collaboration between the Stellenbosch University (SU) Department of Physiological Sciences, the SU Department of Visual Arts and several artists in surrounding communities.
This was according to Elizabeth Miller-Vermeulen, an independent curator and artist who coordinated the exhibition. “It was about matching micrograph images [of diseased cells] with artwork and seeing if we can exhibit the images of the mostly stigmatized illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and cancer,” Miller-Vermeulen said.
The project is about bringing the power of visual arts in addressing and communicating scientific concepts better, said prof Ben Loos, an associate professor at SU’s Department of Physiological Sciences, whose micrographs and those of his postgraduate students were used in the project.
“Over the years we have seen that often students that have done Master’s or PhDs say they are struggling to communicate their work to the community around them, and they would like to – but the avenues of communications are limited,” he said.
The challenge of mental illness in South Africa means that there is a much larger need to communicate the sciences, Loos said. Through the project, they engaged with local communities to find out what diseases are most concerning to them and creating the most challenges, he said.
“Based on these conversations, the topics of tuberculosis, cancer, forgetfulness, mental illness and dementia came about – and luckily these are some of the areas that we are working on,” said Loos.
“A lot of us come from backgrounds where science is not something that is known and discussed. Although we are diverse, we have a unification in terms of the stigma that people who suffer from mental illnesses experience,” said dr Tando Maduna.
Maduna, who specialises in neuro-science and who is completing her fellowship with prof Loos, was involved in translating complex terminologies into Xhosa and communicating with the collaborating artists within communities such as Kayamandi.
Those involved see the project as a point of departure to have this different communication, said Loos. The artists chose the microscopy work themselves based on what they felt they wished to communicate, he added. “The most fantastic work has been created through that.”
According to Miller-Vermeulen, the project was funded mostly by SU’s Social Impact Division.
