Stemistry exhibtion - "my voice"
Over a weekend in June 2009 a group of adults and young people met at Shepherd’s Dene in Riding Mill, Northumberland, to discuss and reflect upon stem cell research and the impact it has on their lives and communities.
Over three days the group debated and discussed; a stem cell expert was involved, giving insight into his work and fielding a barrage of questions; there were writing workshops and a photography session, all intended to help participants mine down into their own thoughts about the highly technical and sometimes challenging subject of stem cells. The event took over a year to plan, its success a consequence of so many amazing people being involved.
What is public engagement?
The resultant exhibition of photography, poetry and text is – on one level – a document of what happened at the event. However, on a deeper level the images address not only the specific science but also the challenging and oft-asked question: “what is public engagement?”
The project coordinator and lead artist, Lisa Matthews, has created a word-collage that reflects the thoughts and ideas of the people who came to the event. The young women and youth workers from the Angelou Centre, together with the Stemistry Writers Group, inspired many of the words. At times – as the portraits are so powerful – the images stand alone. On other occasions a quote seemed appropriate. Photographer Phyllis Christopher took the majority of the portraits, and rather than put names to each panel we invite you to see the entire exhibition as a collaborative piece.
Shamshad
She deserves this crown Harvested from the stems of the fields under evening clouds And to those who commission Much of this engagement research we would like to say Simply this, without Shamshad this event would not Have taken place. A gatekeeper yes, and an expert in her field, uniquely Dignified, the accomplished will often close their eyes because they don’t always need to see.
Poem by Lisa Matthews
Photograph (see first image in the series, above right) by Phyllis Christopher
A multi-lingual event
While English was used throughout the event, the project group was diverse and spoke a variety of languages. Some of the women from the Angelou Centre are multi-lingual, fluent in a variety of registers including Urdu, Hindi, Miripuri and Punjabi, while British Sign Language (BSL), Makaton and teenage text-speak were all in our language pot.
The BSL interpreters did an amazing job of working with the Deaf members of the group. They worked tirelessly throughout the weekend, their long hours making the event more accessible not just during the structured workshop sessions but also during down-time and meal times.
The event organisers learned a great deal from the participants using BSL, and to ensure future events are totally accessible to non-hearing and hearing people alike there will need to be a lot more resources put into supporting materials. The BSL interpreters offered valuable feedback and insights into their experiences; insights that need to be taken on board at the highest levels when commissioning this kind of public engagement event.
All the participants enjoyed the event and found the science interesting and challenging. Everyone expressed a desire to take part in similar events in the future and to work more closely and in a variety of ways with scientists. While finding the residential a positive experience, however, the participants did not believe their voices would be heard outside of the event itself.
Title photograph
The words written on the hands in the “My Voice” portrait inspired the title of this exhibition (photograph, right).
Stemistry project funding & support
Residential event & exhibition funding
The photographs
The images in the exhibition series were taken by the wonderful photographer Phyllis Christopher
Take a tour by clicking "NEXT", above.
The first photograph in the series above accompanies the poem 'Shamshad', featured on this page (left).
The participants
The people that joined together for this event played a significant part in making it an accessible, fun and stimulating experience.
• United Black Youth Association (UBYA) members and youth workers
• Stemistry Writers Group
• Visiting scientist Chris Hutchinson
• BSL interpreters
• Event coordinator Jackie Haq
• Event facilitator Veena Bumma-Dykes
The poems
The poems and word collages were created by Lisa Matthews
Shamshad
She deserves this crown
Harvested from the stems of the fields under evening clouds…
Read in full - left
Ask us
Decisions are not solely yours to make.
Where are our voices, our faces…
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The Ballad of Public Engagement
In time you will contribute
In time your voice will count
But until then you need to trust
Your views we will not flout…
Read more »