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Testing Situations About Blog Events Team Partners Protocal Minutes Search Results More Testing Situations is a public engagement project that inhabits, adapts and reflects on cognitive testing methods and artistic experimentation. The purpose of these screenings, workshops and events is to explore how it feels to be tested, whilst also considering the possibilities for artistic and expressive activities as alternative routes for assessment and diagnosis. Testing Situations is funded by a Public Engagement Grant awarded by the Wellcome Trust. We are also working alongside the RDS Impact Study - a 5-year research project investigating the impact of Rare Dementia Support (RDS) group services for individuals living with, or affected by, rare dementias. Contributions made by participants in the project are anonymous, however there will be multiple forms of record produced: We will be collecting diversity and monitoring information in order to assess the impact of our events. These forms will be hugely helpful for evaluation of the project. We would like to document the events through photography. If you do not want to be included in this documentation, please talk to a member of the project team. We would like to record some conversations and discussions with an audio recorder. These recordings are made to help the project team evaluate the project. The recordings will not be made public although anonymous, transcribed quotations from participants may be used to communicate key learning outputs to the general public and funders. Participants in workshops will be asked to produce drawings and other creative outputs. These creative outputs will remain anonymous but may be presented as a whole to the general public in the form of exhibitions and public displays. If participants do not want their creative outputs to be displayed, please seal them in the envelope provided at the end of the session. Information, artistic outputs and data collected as part of the project will be securely stored and archived and may be used to develop further research in this area. Participants will be issued with a card containing a reference number and contact details for the project. You may withdraw your contributions at a later date by quoting this reference. Participants in these activities are not being assessed and there are no right or wrong answers. Participation is not mandatory, and you are free to withdraw from the activities at any time. The activities are being trialled and developed and we welcome feedback to improve the project. We want to critically engage with the experience of testing, but we also want to have fun, so rule-breaking and adaptation is encouraged!

Natural Resources Home About Studies, 2020-25 Experiments with clay-making, sculpture and painting. Previous Project Next Project

Bollards II, 2018 10 replica bollards were planted in selected pedestrian locations around Deptford (for DeptfordX Fringe). Documentation of public interactions with the bollards were recorded and broadcast live online. Previous Project NextProject

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Gallery Walk Home Residents Partners Resources Our team and partners The residency programme will connect with many individuals, communities and organisations. We have been building the project in consultation with community leaders, regional arts and heritage organisations and professionals with experience of delivering similar projects. Project Management Gallery Walk residencies are managed by Charlie Harrison and Katie Simpson, who have over 15 years experience leading innovative arts projects, working with some of the most exciting creative ideas and practitioners in the UK and internationally. Katie is currently senior curator of exhibitions at Nottingham Contemporary and Charlie is an artist working in creative health, education and research at University College London (UCL). Both grew up in Lincolnshire, with a passion for the area and all it has to offer creatively. After moving to Pinchbeck in 2021, they have been working to connect a regional network and provide more opportunities for creatives to make and share their work. Regional Partner Organisations - confirmed Each resident will have opportunities for mentorship, networking and display. Residencies will be self-led, but have options for dialogue and support with our growing network of regional partner organisations. Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN) East Midlands Link Hub Sleaford Link North Sea Observatory, Chapel Point Link Boston Guildhall Link Boston Gliderdrome Link Lincoln Museum Link Spalding Gentleman's Society Link RSPB Frampton Marsh (informal) Link Regional Partner Organisations - in discussion South and East Lincs Council Partnership NPO Link Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and Gardens Link Community partner organisations - confirmed Each resident will have regular opportunities for community engagement and sharing. Residencies will be self-led, but have options for informal activities and events alongside our growing network of local community organisations. A+E Collaborative Link Pinchbeck Community Hub & Library Link Feathers Teens – supporting neurodivergence in teens and families Link Empire Elite Allstars Link S.H.E.A - Spalding Home Education Association Link Pinchbeck Community Apples Link

Friendship Rules 2015-16 Painting project about friends and dead painters, exhibited in a pub for my 30th birthday. Previous Project Next Project

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FAQ What is Sandman Mattresses? Sandman Mattresses is an installation, sculptural exhibition and online mediation created by Teal Griffin and Charles Robert Harrison based (loosely) on mythology surrounding the Sandman. The installation takes the form of a mattress showroom & shopfront and is the culmination of conversations and collaborative making over the last two years. What is the background to this? The project has felt primarily like an excuse to work together as we felt there were interesting crossovers between our work. The initial idea started as an informal conversation on the front seat of the top deck of a double decker bus after getting lost and jumping on trampolines. We have been meeting, talking and working together on the project since then. What is Crappy Realism? Crappy Realism is a term first (or most recently) used by artist Rosa Doornenbal to describe a current tendency for artwork which is highly realistic and recognisable in form, but the construction uses crappy materials, techniques or effects. If you were a mattress, what mattress would you be? A bit old and tired. Sweat stained, but not to the extent of disgust. Pretty comforting at the end of the day. What's on offer at Sandman Mattresses? A range of things, from the world's most breathable pillow to a fully automated office. Sleep / Dream Advice The best (and worst) dreams always start with sleep. How can I purchase a mattress and / or other products? Please contact us with your enquiry Why is the shop located here? Partly because the space was available, but it does fit in quite well and the surroundings have certainly influences the design of the installation. Who is Sandman? What is the relationship to set design? Is Sandman Mattresses closing down? How is scale and repetition used in your process? How long will this go on for? How do you approach branding? What do I do if I'm unsatisfied with my experience?

MEAT, 2021 Text painting Previous Project Next Project

Testing Situations About Blog Events Team Partners Protocal Minutes Search Results More Testing Situations was awarded a Wellcome Public Engagement Grant to tour around the UK throughout 2019. Through a range of events - from exhibitions and one off screenings to interactive workshops, live experiments and public discussions - the tour drew upon the knowledge of experts and communities to learn how testing can affect people’s lives and society at large. If you would be interested in hosting an event, collaborating with us, contributing to the Testing Situations archive or would like to find out more, please contact us. You can keep up to date with the project by following us on Twitter . Please see below for details of past events Jupiter Woods Jan/Feb 2019 Press Release The first presentation of Testing Situations took place at experimental art space, Jupiter Woods in London. This month-long exhibition included a multichannel film installation of the 'Neva', a sound installation of a typical testing environment and an interactive, evolving archive. Contributions and informal conversations with visitors and a series of group discussions uncovered a range of new perspectives and questions such as: what is the role of artists in the representation of neurological illness? Who has a stake in these representations? Are joy and sadness mutually exclusive emotions? How could modifications to testing environments and furniture design help improve the experience of assessment? UCL Institute of Education March 2019 We gave a talk about the ethics of artists working with people with dementia, as part of a workshop and discussion event about the ethics of public engagement. A blog post by the UCL Public Engagement network, which reflects on the session can be found here RDS Regional Facilitator Meeting March 2019 As part of the tour, we'll be visiting regional rare dementia support groups and trialing new testing ideas and activities. We'll be developing a series of screenings, as well as talks, conversations and creative workshops using story-telling, object handling, mark-making, drawing or sound. Touring Map April 2019 We've been busy booking in venues and this is how the map is looking at the moment. More details coming soon. In the meantime please get in touch if you would like us to come and visit you or you want to know more about these dates and events. Activity Trialing - May 2019 The team has been trialing some activities for the the tour including object handling, drawing a story telling. We're also excited to present some new work from the Single Yellow Lines project over the next few months First touring dates (05/19-06/19) Image Gallery For the first dates on the tour we've been visiting regional support groups for people affected by young onset dementias, and inviting people to take part in the project through screenings, conversations, object handling and drawing exercises. Minutes from these meetings can be found here . Please click here for lines painted in VR at Brainpower UCL Festival of the Brain Alexandra Palace 16th June 2019 Image Gallery We spent an afternoon at Alexandra Palace including getting to know each-other through music and object handling, followed by a film screening of the 'Neva' . In the second part of the session we made blue-tack sculptures and marked drawing boards, which were brought together at the end. This tabletop will be constructed and exhibited at the end of the tour. Unique Cottage Studios - 9th & 10th August 2019 Image Gallery We ran a two-day drop-in event at beautiful arts facility, Unique Cottage Studios in Spalding, Lincolnshire. This included screenings of the 'Neva', alongside an exhibition of artworks, archival documents and objects and participatory drawing activities. Through this we had many valuable, in depth conversations about people's experiences of testing; increasing awareness about rare dementias and learning more about support services in rural locations. SYL Preparations and Inspirations August / September 2019 The Single Yellow Lines project has been in constant development. We were blown away by the simplicity of marks in this painting titled Kufic , 1965 by Lee Krasner on display at Barbican Centre. It seems to relate strongly to some of the themes we're exploring and in preparation for our activities and experiments at Barbican at the end of October, we've also been developing some VR experiments and playing with lab equipment. Catalyst Tour, Newcastle September 2019 Dementia Innovation Hub Co-ordinator Catherine Butcher and TS project lead Charlie Harrison getting ready for a tour of the Catalyst: National Innovation Centre for Ageing in Newcastle. Testing Situations will be one of the first collaborators in this space and we're looking forward to showing all the artwork and learning outputs from the public engagement tour in early 2020. CCA Glasgow Workshop 16th September 2019 Image Gallery We had a brilliant time at CCA Glasgow for the first of two in-depth workshops. Through talks, participatory activities, screenings and making workshops we reflected on the methods used in Testing Situations and considered whether we might ever be able to measure creativity. Living Well with Dementia 25th September 2019 Testing Situations project lead Charlie Harrison spoke at the Living Well with Dementia event at the Met Hotel in Leeds. This was an amazing day of talks and workshops, curated by the Every Third Minute curators and West Yorkshire Playhouse. It was a great opportunity to discuss what we've been learning through the tour and the importance of working together. More information from this event can be found here. CCA Glasgow Workshop 30th September 2019 Image Gallery For the second day of workshops at CCA Glasgow we explored the Single Yellow Lines project. As a group we considered the history of simple artistic gestures, the value of expression for people with dementia and the tensions existing when scientific and human data is aestheticised. Bloomsbury Festival 19th October 2019 Image Gallery A wonderful day at Lumen URC for Bloomsbury Festival. Collaborator Prof Elizabeth Warrington dropped in to see how the project has been progressing, and it was great to introduce the work to lots of interesting festival goers. Single Yellow Lines at Barbican Centre 23rd-27th October 2019 Image Gallery We had lots of fun over 5 days at Barbican Centre; inviting visitors to paint single yellow lines in both real-world and virtual painting environments. How do we interpret these lines? Do we need to? The takeover was also an opportunity to discuss innovative research investigating the perception of verticality from UCL sensorimotor lab and for one day only we presented an audio-visual installation in the Level G Studio, converting bodily data into sound. Fabrica Gallery, Brighton 4th November 2019 Image Gallery In conjunction with the ESRC Festival of Social Science and an exhibition about Care at Fabrica Gallery Brighton, Testing Sitiuations held an event focussing on drawing, research and evaluation including discussions about movement, expression, perception, hope and memory alongside social scientists Prof Paul Camic and Emma Harding. Grainger Market, Newcastle 14th November 2019 Image Gallery The final stop on the tour was in Grainger Market, a beautiful traditional market in the heart of Newcastle. This pop-up space provides information and a drop-in service for the local and wider community and it was brilliant to understand better the services available and how people are affected by dementia and cognitive testing in this part of the UK. Look out for details about our final screening and exhibition event in Newcastle on 7th and 8th February 2020 at the Catalyst: National Innovation Centre for Ageing. The Catalyst, Newcastle in partnership with the National Innovation Centre for Ageing 7th & 8th February 2020 Image Gallery The final showcase event took place in at the new groundbreaking facility in Newcastle, The Catalyst: National Innovation Centre for Ageing. Testing Situations presented an exhibition of learning from the tour featuring artworks from Clive Smith, Dan Moxam and a newly commissioned film titled 'Margaret' and supporting imagery by film-maker Harry Lawson. The main event featured presentations from project lead Charlie Harrison, social scientist Emma Harding and collaborator Mhari McLintock followed by screenings of 3 artistic films made by, or in collaboration with people living with dementia. The afternoon session included a participatory workshop and group conversations with around 60 attendees, both individuals and groups from North East.

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Dashboard 2016-present Painting and augmented reality experimentation Previous Project Next Project