Join four of the biggest brains, most fun people, and forces for good in cutting edge neuroscience research, writing and artwork.
We first met artist Charlie Murphy and Professor Selina Wray, when they trialled their now award winning, ‘Neuronal Disco’ at Normal? Festival of the Brain a couple of years ago. The following year, we featured Charlie’s ‘Brains in A Dish’ installation, which documented Charlie and science writer Philip Ball’s experience of having a little lump taken from their arms and turned into rudimentary brains, grown in a dish! Philip subsequently wrote the book ‘How to be Human’ as an “attempt to make sense of that strange experience and to understand the implications of our new-found power to transform cells.”
Grab a cocktail or a cuppa, and expect your mind to blown as we hear from Professor Selina Wray telling us about her most recent work using cutting-edge techniques with stem cells to unravel the causes of dementia; Philip Ball shares insights and a reading from ‘How To Grow A Human’; and Charlie Murphy with electronics engineer Robin Bussell discuss their latest responsive artwork ‘Spontaneous Synapses’, informed by how their skin cells grew into brains… Then get involved in asking questions and saying what you think – no questions too simple, and all thoughts welcome.
Keep an eye on social media for Brain Tickler and Teaser cocktail recipes from the team.
Growing the Stuff of Thought will be on Facebook Live on Friday 29 January, 7pm. This livestream can also be watched from the Normal? Festival of the Brain website.
This event is presented as part of Normal? Festival of the Brain which is co-curated by Creative Folkestone, Living Words and Folkestone Fringe.