A Reality Near You - issue 1

WELCOME

Science Gallery London is a place to grow new ideas across art, science and health. As a part of King’s College London, we’re the university’s flagship public gallery. You can find us on King’s Guy’s campus, next to London Bridge station.

As a university-based gallery, we try to spark new ways of thinking about some of the most complex contemporary challenges we face. The work we share here emerges from dialogue and collaborations between communities of artists, academics, students, young people, activists, local organisations and more.

Over the following pages, you can read about how a breadth of perspectives shapes our programme of exhibitions, residencies, workshops, open discussions, festivals, performances and live research.

With the exception of our ticketed partnership with LIFT Festival for Bat Night Market, entry to all of our exhibitions and events is free. Our doors are open for you to explore.

Siddharth Khajuria Director, Science Gallery London

With thanks to everyone who contributed to this zine.

© Science Gallery London part of King’s College London

Cover Image: Ginkgo and Other Times by Tang Han | Design: Will Mower

Three artists’ moving image works explore ideas around our time on Earth.

A new exhibition reveals human stories of caring for loved ones with dementia at the end of their lives.

THINKING WITH THE HEART

A new feminist encounter with cardiovascular science.

Intersecting performance, speculative design and science, step into a night market of the future.

THE CHANGE COLLECTIVE

Introducing the young people working with us to embed youth perspectives at the gallery.

Who decides what is researched and how? We spotlight Participatory Research at King’s.

Meet the young actors, models and musicians in residence at Science Gallery London.

Live

NEWS

AI SEASON ATTRACTS 30,000 VISITORS

Named as one of the best free exhibitions in London by Evening Standard, Condé Nast Traveller and Visit London, our 2023 season

AI: WHO’S LOOKING AFTER ME? (co-curated with FutureEverything) enjoyed a hugely positive response from visitors and critics alike.

Taking a questioning look at this fastdeveloping technology from a range of perspectives, the season featured 13 collaborations between artists, King’s College London researchers, technologists, patient groups and young people, including 7 new commissions.

Among the highlights were Air Giants’ huggable robot Sprout , developed with researchers and students from the robotics lab at King’s; Blast Theory’s experiment in AI-powered pet care, Cat Royale; Wesley Goatley’s eerie graveyard of voice assistants, Newly Forgotten Technologies; and Sarah Selby’s Lumen Prize-winning intervention Between the Lines, which highlighted the controversial use of algorithms in Home Offi ce decision-making.

In total, we welcomed 30,000 people through our doors for the exhibition and accompanying events programme, which included two sold-out Friday Lates; a special recording of the BBC Global News Podcast; a visionary workshop with the Stemettes; lunchtime presentations from King’s researchers in the AI Forum; and a series of timely discussions exploring transparency, regulation and AI’s implications for healthcare, the workplace and the creative industries.

SCAN TO LISTEN TO BBC GLOBAL NEWS

PODCAST: AI SPECIAL

A visitor interacts with Sprout © George Torode

STUDIO QUANTUM LONDON 2024

The world as we know it relies on quantum phenomena to drive technologies such as GPS, the internet and MRI scanners. As far as we’re aware, quantum physics is just the way nature works. So why does it feel so strange to us?

Science Gallery London is proud to be the UK partner for Studio Quantum, Goethe-Institut’s international artist residency programme that aims to use art to explore cultural, ethical and ecological

SCIENCE GALLERY BENGALURU OPENS ITS DOORS

questions around quantum technologies. We’ll be hosting one selected writer or poet who will work with Dr James Millen from the Department of Physics at King’s to explore the philosophical implications of this most elusive of fi elds.

SCAN TO LEARN ABOUT OUR RESIDENCIES

Did you know that we are part of an international network of universities dedicated to public engagement with science and art?

In January 2024, Science Gallery Bengaluru became the latest member to open its doors for their first public exhibition CARBON – 35 interactive exhibits by Indian and international artists exploring our profound relationship with the life-sustaining element.

SCAN TO EXPLORE SCIENCE GALLERY BENGALURU

THE OVERVIEW EFFECT

THE OVERVIEW EFFECT is the term given to the cognitive shift experienced by some astronauts when viewing the Earth from space. They report unexpected emotions, an overwhelming sense of beauty, and an increased feeling of connection to other people and the Earth as a whole.

From February – May 2024, moving image works by artists Tang Han , Ruth Waters and Rachel Rose will explore ideas around our time on Earth, offering a shift in perspective through their depictions of the natural world. These works – never before exhibited in the UK – will be shown one at a time, for one month each.

To develop the exhibition, the artists were connected to King’s College London researchers in the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (part of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience) and the Department of English.

Alongside the installation, a series of related events will give you the chance to connect with the artists, and learn about related research taking place at King’s.

Image: courtesy of the artist

TANG HAN

GINKGO AND OTHER TIMES

(2023, 15 mins)

21 February – 16 March

Wed – Sat, 11am – 6pm

Gallery 1

Humans share the planet with the ginkgo tree, a so-called ‘living fossil’ that has existed on earth for over 200 million years. Ginkgo trees are part of our city; urban planners often choose them because of their ability to adapt to various climates and resist pollution and pests.

Taking inspiration from environmental ethics in nature writing and ancient Chinese folk tales, Tang Han’s film critically examines shifting human greed, and the interconnectedness between

humans and nonhumans. It contemplates the continuity of life and the ginkgo in relation to other existences. Trees act as witnesses, exploring different dimensions of the human story and the different cycles of life.

TANG HAN lives and works in Berlin. Across the mediums of film, video and installation, her practice questions the validity of things taken for granted in everyday life.

Image: © Paula Siqueria

RUTH WATERS SWALLOW UP

(2021, 9 mins)

20 March – 13 April

Wed – Sat, 11am – 6pm Gallery 1

In 2019, artist Ruth Waters travelled to Japan to interview space psychologist Tomio Kinoshita and astronaut Naoko Yamazaki. Their discussions unveiled the disorienting nature of space, where astronauts grapple with a profound sense of lostness and anxiety amidst the cosmic darkness.

Yamazaki discussed how when looking out of the window of the International Space Station towards outer space, she became disoriented with no visual stimuli. Kinoshita, drew a contrast to the tangible objects grounding us on Earth: a simple glance at a chair provides instant recognition and situational awareness, a stark juxtaposition to the disorienting void of space.

In the artist’s contemplation, the insights from Kinoshita and Yamazaki not only evoked existential wonder for the cosmos, but also sparked an exploration into the perplexing experience of navigating our everyday lives. Objects, while providing a sense of orientation, possess a malleability that can both reassure and disconcert, urging us to question the narratives and illusions woven into the fabric of our existence.

RUTH WATERS lives and works in London. She is a curator, producer and artist, exploring the intersection of contemporary society with existential themes.

Swallow Up was made with generous support from ARCUS Project

RACHEL ROSE THE LAST DAY

(2023, 7 mins)

17 April – 11 May

Wed – Sat, 11am – 6pm Gallery 1

On the last, seventh day, the artist made a radar sensor-enabled carpet, which acts as the central protagonist, emitting light depending on its proximity to humans, ominously signalling the end of times.

The Last Day is a seven-minute video comprising thousands of medium format photographs shot in her children’s bedroom.

The work is structured in seven days. Each day’s still life – from a bottle of milk to a pile of construction trucks – symbolises a different epoch in the history of the earth.

The work lays bare that the history of earth’s landscape – from the primordial, to the prehistoric, to the industrialised and into the near future – is embedded in the development of imagination.

RACHEL ROSE lives and works in New York.

© Rachel Rose. Supported by SITE Santa Fe, LUMA Arles, and Google. Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone Gallery, New York, Brussels and Seoul, and Pilar Corrias Gallery, London.

DEMENTIA

JOURNEYS

Dementia is the most common cause of death in the UK, but access to good end of life care is highly unequal. Empowering Better End of Life Dementia Care (EMBED-Care) is a fiveyear research collaboration between King’s College London’s Cicely Saunders Institute and University College London that aims to generate a step-change in how care is provided.

Now as part of the project, a new exhibition reveals the human stories of what it’s like to care for a loved one with dementia at the end of their life.

Photo of Tia King © Allie Crewe

“Looking back at it now, obviously at the time it was stressful because you’re in the moment, but I would do it all over again. I just feel like we could have done with more support from social services.”

Tia King is speaking on Zoom from the north London flat where she cared for her nan Cherry until she passed away in 2022. Tia is one of three people featured in the exhibition DEMENTIA JOURNEYS, whose stories highlight the complexity of needs to ensure comfort and dignity for people at the end of their lives.

Cherry was already receiving daily visits from carers when she was diagnosed with vascular dementia. “We started to notice things that were just not like her; she would be asking for things that she had as a child, or she would repeat herself. But we never realised that she had dementia until social services got involved and put in a safeguarding referral. That was in 2018.”

Tia described the battle to keep Cherry at home. “She had always made it very clear to all of us, no matter what happens to me, don’t put me in a home. She was adamant. But social services insisted that I couldn’t give her the care that she needed, which confused me, because I’d been working

alongside her carers and there had never been a problem. So it was a year of back and forth - we had about two or three different social workers. The district nurses were on our side, funnily enough. Eventually we got there with the carers package: four times a day, plus me.”

Tia, aged 22 at the time, gave up work. “In all honesty, it wasn’t that hard looking after her. The only thing that was a strain was having to turn her over in bed every half an hour, because her body and her legs had seized up over time. Eventually, they said that she couldn’t eat solid food. That was hard because she was a big foodie. She used to love food, love cooking.”

Once the decision had been made not to move Cherry into residential care, social services left them alone. “This is why I felt that she was neglected, not by us, but by them, because they didn’t bother coming around to check on her. They didn’t ask if I needed any help.”

Tia’s story also highlights failings of their local authority housing provider. “The unfortunate thing was what she passed away from. We had been suffering from a lot of damp, her room was affected the most. She caught pneumonia in the summertime.”

The stories of Tia and the other carers portrayed in the exhibition are told through comic strips illustrated by graphic novelist and doctor Ian Williams, and through portraits by award-winning photographer Allie Crewe.

“This is the first time I’ve done anything like this,” Tia said. “I think my nan, she’s in spirit somewhere, pushing me towards it. I thought I’ve got to do it. I was afraid of meeting Allie because I hate getting my picture taken. But she made it very easy.”

Allie also has direct experience of caring for family members with dementia, so there was a personal connection to the project. Two times winner of the BJP Portrait of Britain prize, she describes transformation as a key theme in all her work.

“I think transformations are the most optimistic things in life,” Allie said. “There’s a sense that often when we’re going through difficult times, that is transformation. It’s often a painful process. I had a really strong sense that Tia is going through that transformation. She’s so articulate, so passionate. She feels like a woman who’s on the cusp of finding her power. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes a campaigner, there’s that strong sense that it’s her time to make a difference.”

Allie continued, “I felt her story was about love. Tia described caring for Cherry as a privilege. And it’s humbling when somebody

tells you that story of their life: if somebody has loved them, then it becomes a privilege to care for them at end of life.”

And what does Allie hope that visitors will take from the exhibition? “If we don’t have academics doing this kind of research, we’re never going to change the narrative of dementia. It seems to me that’s what the families all want to see. The social workers, the hospitals, the care system... they want it to change because they feel they understand their loved-one the most, and that they are a valuable resource in letting this person live with dignity at their end of their life. The women in these portraits are helping to change the narrative.”

Tia herself is now training to become a carer. “I’ve now come to realise that’s what I want to do, I literally found my purpose from it. So my aim now is to get into the care sector and make a difference in people’s lives. And this is why I feel like this exhibition got sent, or my nan is sending it my way.”

DEMENTIA JOURNEYS: TOWARDS BETTER END OF LIFE DEMENTIA CARE is on display in Gallery 2 from 3 April – 22 June

SCAN TO READ MORE ABOUT EMBED-CARE

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US

Who decides what is researched and how it’s done? Participatory Research is a collaborative practice that seeks to redress power imbalances and actively involve communities in research that is relevant to them. We spoke to Bella Spencer and Nat Gohlan from King’s Impact and Engagement Services team to find out more.

What is Participatory Research, and why is it important?

Traditionally, researchers in universities have worked from constructed positions of power, equipped with the resources and agency to drive research agendas, and impart - or impose - their generated knowledge on communities. Participatory Research sets out to challenge this hierarchy by centring communities outside of academia as collaborators in research to create knowledge and enact social change. The approach recognises that those with lived experience of an issue or system are experts by experience, and therefore are best placed to contribute to related research. Ultimately, Participatory Research aims to develop collective agency by building capacities for collaboration, analysis and action between universities and communities.

Where did this approach come from?

Participatory Research is a collaborative and self-reflective method that emerged in the 1940s, gaining authority during the anti-colonial movements of the 1970s and 80s in the Global South. Its roots can be traced back to non-hierarchical grassroots activism, and many of its core practical elements are derived from this.

Illustrations by Traumascapes for the MAPS project, capturing the vision, values and principles underpinning ethical survivor-controlled research.

What Participatory Research projects are currently happening at King’s?

A REALITY NEAR YOU

Among the projects we have seed funded are MAPS , a project bringing together academics and survivor-led organisations to co-create a framework to support survivor-led research; The MORE project , a training programme to upskill and empower peer researchers to shape research addressing inequalities in maternal health outcomes; and Include Us In, a collaboration with the Palestinian Museum to explore cultural entrepreneurship in the West Bank.

Tell us about your takeover at Science Gallery London

Science Gallery London embodies many of the core values of Participatory Research by blurring the line between academia and communities and inviting them onto campus to learn, collaborate and grow new ideas. This spring, a group of Participatory Researchers will create a collaborative installation for the gallery’s Takeover Space. Experts by Experience: Who Knows Best? will explore the concept of lived experience in knowledge production. A series of thought-provoking events and training workshops will also run alongside the installation.

EXPERTS BY EXPERIENCE: WHO KNOWS BEST? is on display in the Takeover Space from 10 April – 5 June

PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH IN ACTION

RE-STAR

RE-STAR (Regulating Emotions –Strengthening Adolescent Experience) is a research programme at King’s that seeks to find new ways of reducing depression in young people with a diagnosis of autism or ADHD. A group of young neurodivergent adults have been central to the research, shaping every stage of the process. We spoke to academic researcher Steve Lukito, and two independent researchers from the RE-STAR Youth Researcher Panel, Maciej Matejko and Tiegan Boyens.

RE-STAR Youth Researcher Maciej Matejko at My Emotions and Me at Science Gallery London, 2022

“Some [autism research] has contributed to deepening stigma and inaccurate stereotypes, such as the lack of empathy myth. One of the reasons was probably not listening to autistic people enough.”

Why is it important that research involves people with lived experience?

Steve: Every research project can benefit from bringing perspectives from experts by experience at different stages of the research process, if it’s supported by an appropriate framework, incorporates them into the early stages of planning, and has adequate funding to do this. In the RE-STAR programme, a group of enthusiastic neurodivergent young people have joined our research since its conception, co-designing research and coanalysing and interpreting the data.

Tiegan: As we have lived experience and know the impact that has had on us, we can help steer the research to explore topics that academics may have never thought of. We can also make research a more worthwhile and comfortable experience for participants because we have that understanding. With a lot of research on this topic, people with lived experience can look at it in shock and think, “That’s not what it’s like!”

Why did you want to get involved in

RE-STAR?

Maciej: As a late-diagnosed autistic person, I’m really interested in autism science, partly as a tool of self-discovery. Unfortunately, some research has appeared far removed from how I and other autistic people experience the world, and has contributed to deepening

stigma and inaccurate stereotypes, such as the “lack of empathy” myth. One of the reasons was probably not listening to autistic people enough. RE-STAR is changing this.

What has surprised you most about being involved with RE-STAR?

Maciej: The level of our involvement and the range of opportunities given to us was a big, positive surprise to me. We’re co-authoring papers in major journals, giving talks at conferences, co-organising events. Some of these activities seemed daunting at first, but the team is very good at facilitating our participation.

Tiegan: We have been welcomed by everyone involved in this project. No matter their role or level, they want to engage with us and hear what we have to say. There hasn’t been a single tokenistic interaction or occasion where we were just there to be a ‘lived experience statue’. To follow this, we have been involved in every element of this research project in some form. We have also really evolved our RE-STAR youth research panel: it looks nothing like it did at the beginning!

SCAN TO READ MORE ABOUT RE-STAR

G ET INVOLVED SUSTAIN SPACE

Are you 18 – 25 and studying at King’s, or local to Southwark or Lambeth?

SUSTAIN SPACE is our hub of creative projects, activities and events led by, with and for 18 – 25 year-olds. It’s a space to grow, experiment and learn about ideas relating to social justice, identity, climate, science, health and technology.

We offer regular social events, small grants to help you get your creative project off the ground, and an annual paid residency.

You’ll meet other emerging creatives, convenors, activists and curious folk, as well as having the chance to make connections with King’s researchers and professional artists.

SCAN TO FIND OUT WHAT SUSTAIN SPACE CAN OFFER YOU

PhD students Jhanelle White & Tiarna Lee © George Torode

BECOME A MEDIATOR

If you love communicating with the public about big ideas, then a role as a Science Gallery Mediator might be for you!

As the public face of the gallery, our Mediators are an integral part of the Science Gallery experience, engaging visitors with our exhibitions. Mediators come from a range of backgrounds, but they all have one thing in

common: they are curious about the world, and are energised by connecting with people from all walks of life.

We’ll be recruiting a new team of Mediators for our next major season later in the year. We aim to give priority to King’s College London students, but anyone is welcome to apply.

To be notified when applications open, email: SCIENCEGALLERY@KCL.AC.UK

RESEARCHERS

Are you a researcher at King’s College London interested in engaging with artists and the public? From supporting collaborations within our annual seasons, to researcher-led residencies and displays, there are many ways to get involved. Science Gallery London is part of King’s Culture, the university’s knowledge exchange institute for collaborations with the creative and cultural industries.

SCAN TO LEARN ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCHERS

Our team of Mediators for AI season © Paula Siqueira

Watching diamond particles levitate in Seeing the Unthinkable by Dr James Millen and Steve Claydon © George Torode

THE AI DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

Live research is one of the ways in which Science Gallery London brings together King’s academics with members of the public. During our recent exhibition AI: WHO’S LOOKING AFTER ME? radiologists Professor Vicky Goh and Dr Carolyn Horst from the Cancer Imaging Group at King’s

School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences used the opportunity to understand attitudes towards the increasing use of AI in healthcare settings. Here they share their preliminary findings.

What have you been hoping to discover through your research at Science Gallery London?

The AI Doctor Will See You Now is a live research survey that grew out of a project we have been carrying out with our patients in the Radiology department at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals. As radiologists (doctors who specialise in imaging for diagnosis and treatment), we are keen to understand how the public feel about the use of AI: do they think it will help or hinder diagnosis? Enhance or replace doctors? Are people happy for us to use it, or sceptical of its power? There has been very little research carried out in this area: as healthcare users and as funders of the NHS, it is important we understand the public’s perceptions of AI and how it is used.

Have there been any initial findings that have surprised you?

We’ve had an incredible response, with over 1700 surveys completed to date. So far, an impressive 80% of people said AI should either definitely or probably be used in healthcare, while over three quarters of respondents felt it would be safe. But while people seem largely comfortable with the use of AI, there appears to be an appreciation amongst respondents that doctors are better able to understand medical problems than AI. In keeping with this, over two thirds thought it unlikely that doctors would be replaced by AI, and a large majority would not be happy for AI to make a decision without considering their feelings.

SCIENCE GALLERY LONDON

Our findings are interesting in two ways: people appear to be comfortable with the use of AI in healthcare, but also believe that doctors still have an important role to play as decision makers and communicators. Taken together, these views likely reflect the public’s comfort with doctors using AI as a tools to improve their decision-making, but remaining as the face and voice of medical interactions. This outlook dovetails nicely with what we as radiologists see as the future for AI in our practice: it will likely make us more accurate and more efficient, but ultimately will not replace us.

As a radiologist, do you feel optimistic about the increasing use of AI in healthcare?

Absolutely. AI has the potential, if developed and applied properly, to enhance our skills as doctors, but the application of AI must be consensual with our patients and the public. The AI Doctor Will See You Now is giving us an important window into how people feel about this technology being used in healthcare and has the potential to inform how we develop and use AI technology in the future. A

THINKING WITH THE HEART

CAREFUL WHISPER is a new feminist intervention that brings together the expertise of artist and sociologist Professor Nina Wakeford (Goldsmiths) with King’s professors Anne Pollock (Global Health & Social Medicine) and Susan Brain (School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences). We spoke to Nina and Anne about their collaboration, and how a feminist perspective can point toward new ways of doing science.

Tell us more about your collaboration

Careful Whisper is a feminist science and technology studies (feminist STS) encounter with cardiovascular science. We will be tracking current controversies and emergent ideas. Some of the most significant developments in this field are happening here at King’s, such as debates around the efficacy of stents.

The project draws on Anne’s article Heart Feminism which applies a feminist STS lens to cardiovascular physiology. Feminist STS is a multi-disciplinary and dynamic field, which has reconceived how we think about the brain, the gut, and of course breasts and uteruses.

We want to explore how the heart is and has been characterised in medical science. The heart is both electric and hydraulic, and cells can beat in unison with other heart cells. Each representation suggests a different

model of thinking. For example, how would we think differently about the heart if we thought of its cells as contagious?

Anne, you have argued that we are in “the age of the brain”. What can a heart-centred approach offer to our understanding of bodies and personhood?

In general, our way of life assumes that personhood is located in the brain. In fact, when the beginning of life is the foetal heartbeat, and the end of life is brain death, this is more ambiguous. In everyday experience, we can feel a heartbeat of someone intimate (whether a lover or a child), so the ‘age of the brain’ doesn’t quite capture how we experience our bodies and personhood.

Feminists stress the need to understand ourselves as embodied humans navigating the world. A numbers-driven analysis isn’t always the answer to figuring out the best way forward. We need to think about

humans (and animals) in space, in relation, in community. Historically many voices and experiences have been systematically ignored or silenced by medicine. Turning away from the brain and towards the heart might refocus our attention on particular kinds of inequality and marginalisation.

Careful Whisper is a great name. Why did you choose this?

We are interested in the kinds of noises which scientific authority makes or doesn’t make. We wouldn’t normally assume that scientific knowledge would be shared with a soft intimacy! Also ‘whisper’ brings breath and heartbeat together. We use the word ‘careful’ to acknowledge the complexity that a feminist lens can bring.

This is your latest collaboration that explores how gender interacts with science and technology. What can performance and artistic creation bring to this field?

We previously collaborated on a project about hormones for Science Gallery London’s 2020 season GENDERS, where Nina brought drag kings to endocrinology labs, and endocrinologists to drag king shows. Anne shared her expertise in all of these encounters. The resulting artworks offered scientists another way of asking questions about the norms of gender and science.

This time, driven by the debates that occur in cardiovascular science at King’s, we plan to develop soundscapes from what we encounter in the laboratories. Together art and feminist STS can create something that might touch the limits of what is knowable. But we also hope that these encounters might inform the practices of those working

in all the fields involved in the project.

What can visitors expect from your takeover at Science Gallery London?

You can expect sonic experiments drawn from our encounters in the cardiology labs. We will be informed by Nina’s apprenticeship with a feminist music improvisor who has been working with free vocal improvisation since the late 1970s. We will be sharing our investigations - not what we literally hear, but how and when sense is made.

Professor Susan Brain analysing samples to determine levels of markers associated with heart failure

BAT NIGHT MARKET

Where will our food come from in the future? And what cultural sensitivities might be at play as we rethink global consumption?

Bringing together performance, speculative design and science, BAT NIGHT MARKET is a collaboration between artist Kuang-Yi Ku and designer Robert Charles Johnson, co-commissioned by LIFT and Taipei Performing Arts Center.

Set in an imagined future, it invites visitors to consider a plethora of entangled issues that surround one mysterious species – the bat.

A REALITY NEAR YOU

What is Bat Night Market, and where did the idea come from?

KUANG-YI: Bat Night Market is set in a future scenario in which bats are extinct. It’s been conceived as a place to let people remember and celebrate this amazing species through a series of sensorial activities. The idea came from the anti-Asian “food racism” that was evident following the COVID-19 outbreak, when eating bats was regarded as the origin of the pandemic. With this installation, we want to invite people to rethink the complexities of this topic, including issues around ecological crisis, virus transmission, future food, biotechnologies, cultural stigmas and racism.

ROB: The market represents a celebration, a gathering of cultures with various dishes to try. It aims to blur reality with fiction: to allow the audience to imagine a future without bats, which of course should not be celebrated, but which is entirely possible.

What drew you to the bat to want to make work about it?

KUANG-YI: In addition to possibly being the origin of COVID-19, the bat carries many cultural stigmas in human society. This complexity intrigued me, and made me want to create a work that invites people to rethink all the controversies around this species. Can we still eat bats?

© Rain Wu. This is an AI-assisted image created with the support of Midjourney.

Is it problematic? Why is it important for the environment to protect them? All these questions came to mind while making this project.

ROB: For me, it’s also the iconography around the bat, its mystery, its presence in the night. I wanted to understand more than just ‘the Batman symbol.’ Since working on this project I have learned so many amazing facts about bats and how important they are to the ecosystem.

You’ve collaborated with a number of King’s researchers. How have these perspectives impacted the project?

KUANG-YI: During our R&D at Science Gallery London, we collaborated with Lucy Di Silvio, a Professor of Tissue Engineering; PhD researcher Martha Gallardo Galaviz; anthropologist Ann Kelly; and Gemma Bowsher, who works at the interface of health security and biological threats. Their expertise and scientific knowledge helped us to design a possible future with a unique perspective. After our conversations, we would revise our original ideas and polish the design proposal.

ROB: It’s had a huge impact. We can have a speculative idea about what we want, but speaking to the experts adds so many more layers, making the research not only real, but rich with new stories and discoveries.

You’ve had R&D periods for this work in London and Taipei. What has been the response to the idea of eating lab-grown bat meat?

KUANG-YI: People from different backgrounds react to these work-in-progress presentations in very different ways. Some people refuse

to eat because they think it is real artificial bat meat. But their fears also mean that this presentation is working at a certain level. Also, people have enjoyed the critical discussions arising from the activities.

What do you hope audiences will take away from the experience?

KUANG-YI: I hope people will understand the urgency of the issue of extinction due to human intervention in the ecosystem. I hope the audience will appreciate the complexity of the relationship between humans and bats, and start to cherish their existence.

ROB: I held stigmas about bats at the start of this journey, and now I have a completely new understanding. If the audience can walk away having learned something new about the complex bat, it would be a win.

BAT NIGHT MARKET runs from 11 – 15 June in Gallery 1 as part of LIFT 2024. Tickets are on sale from LIFTFESTIVAL.COM

Professor of tissue engineering

Lucy Di Silvio at Science Gallery London

THE CHANGE COLLECTIVE

THE CHANGE COLLECTIVE is a growing community of people aged 18 – 25 from South London and King’s College London who are committed to social justice and systemic change.

The newly established group of young creatives, organisers and researchers is collaborating with us in 2024 to look at how we can continue to embed anti-oppressive values and youth-centred perspectives at Science Gallery London.

As part of this process the group are engaging in a training programme with sessions covering topics such as: ‘creative approaches to systems change’ and ‘how to develop and execute campaigns that can influence institutional practice’.

The group will use this training to actively shape the programme at Science Gallery London. They will have a particular focus on the co-design of Sustain Space, our programme made with and for King’s students and local 18 – 25 year olds.

SCAN TO MEET THE MEMBERS OF THE CHANGE COLLECTIVE

IN RESIDENCE: THE SPIT GAME UK

HELP! I THINK MY TEACHER IS RACIST is a powerful short film created by The Spit Game UK – a collective of musicians, actors, models and producers that champions London’s freshest young Black talent.

Commissioned by and filmed on location at Science Gallery London, the film draws on research and personal experience to highlight issues in the education system and their impact on the mental health of Black learners.

It’s one of a number of works featured in an exhibition marking the culmination of their year-long residency at Science Gallery London.

We spoke to Benjamin Turner, a former teacher who leads the collective, about the making of the film, and using rap as a research tool.

How did the collective form, and what drives it?

The Spit Game has been a collective since autumn 2021, but the project actually started in 2016 when I started teaching at my first school. There I started a Rap Club project – going from after-school club to performing at Wembley Arena. By the time we created The Spit Game brand, we already had young creatives from across London in the community. The Spit Game launched us into industry and massively grew our audience. The collective is driven by authenticity, community and excellence, championing the vibrant potential of young Black talent and cultures.

Tell us about the film you’ve made, and the research the collective has been doing in local secondary schools.

All of our film projects focus on highlighting excellence and/or issues that reflect our

community of young Black creatives. This has been enhanced by our residency at Science Gallery London, where we have been given a space to work creatively, including writing sessions, rehearsals, and using the workshop as the setting for one of our films.

Alongside this, we worked with researchers from King’s to develop our own understanding of issues affecting young Black people – specifically within education – and developed a framework for research. We then used this framework in local secondary schools to engage more youth voice and ensure the topics covered in our short film were supported by research.

What change do you think needs to happen in the education system in London?

Despite being a profession with a lot of compassion, there are a wide range of systemic issues within the education system

Film stills courtesy of The Spit Game UK

“We found that young Black learners often have to leave their culture at the school gates”

that need addressing, including making curriculums more reflective of the needs and aspirations of young people. For our project, the focus was on the clash between school culture and Black cultures. We found that young Black learners often have to leave their culture at the school gates to survive a day of learning without being punished. Even in schools that claim to embrace diversity, it is Black faces that are celebrated whilst Black cultures are often chastised. There needs to be a recognition that excluding things from schools – be it youth cultures (positive or negative) or Black identities

– does not exclude it from their lives and risks making young people feel unsafe or unwelcome. Instead, embracing the cultures and identities of learners, supporting them to achieve excellence within and beyond these, and trusting young people with more leadership (including allowing failures) will elevate the impact of education.

The Spit Game UK members: Ryan, Aaron, Isaiah, Zara, Tyrelle and Vidal with research facilitators Nathan and Hana (top row, far right) and Science Gallery London producer Jaz (bottom row, far right)

You have collaborated with a number of big institutions including King’s. What are the benefits and challenges that you’ve encountered?

The Spit Game collective set up allows significant flexibility when it comes to how we work and what we do. Larger institutions have more restrictions, but this can, at times, be useful for channelling creativity. Another key benefit has been resources, especially spaces for us to use and adapt to our needs. Whilst this hasn’t been the case with all institutions we have worked with, King’s has given us significant trust in approaching our work in our own way. The biggest limitation of collaborating with institutions however has been systems which reflect the way the institutions work but not necessarily the world outside of this - especially that of young Black creatives. However, Science Gallery London has been really accommodating in working with us to adapt to our needs.

You’ll be putting on an exhibition at Science Gallery London in the summer. What can visitors expect, and what would you like them to take away from the experience?

This will be a refreshing exhibition experience - curated by young Black creatives and based around their creative work. Visitors will be able to experience the films we create, explore the research and processes behind them, and get an insight into the lives, perspectives and ways-ofworking of our collective. A key goal is to show that learning creatively - not just facilitated in classrooms and/or institutions - can have its own value.

SCAN TO WATCH THE TRAILER ON YOUTUBE

THE SPIT GAME UK’s exhibition is on display in Gallery 2 from 17 July – 12 October

WHAT’S ON

With the exception of BAT NIGHT MARKET , all exhibitions and events are FREE

SCAN FOR FULL PROGRAMME OF EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

21 FEB – 16 MAR / GALLERY 1

TANG HAN:

GINKGO AND OTHER TIMES

Part 1 of THE OVERVIEW EFFECT

21 FEB – 6 APR / TAKEOVER SPACE

404 PAPERS NOT FOUND

Womxn in Biosciences Society, LGBTQ+ Society & Grrrl Zine Fair

20 MAR – 13 APR / GALLERY 1

RUTH WATERS: SWALLOW UP

Part 2 of THE OVERVIEW EFFECT

3 APR – 22 JUN / GALLERY 2

DEMENTIA JOURNEYS

TOWARDS BETTER END OF LIFE

DEMENTIA CARE

OPENING TIMES

10 APR – 5 JUN / TAKEOVER SPACE

EXPERTS

Participatory Research at King’s

17 APR – 11 MAY / GALLERY 1

RACHEL ROSE: THE LAST DAY

Part 3 of THE OVERVIEW EFFECT

11 JUN – 15 JUN / GALLERY 1

Kuang-Yi Ku & Robert Charles Johnson

Presented as part of LIFT 2024

11 JUN – 27 JUL / TAKEOVER SPACE

CAREFUL WHISPER

Nina Wakeford & Anne Pollock

17 JUL – 12 OCT / GALLERY 2

GALLERY 1

GALLERY 2

WED – SAT, 11AM – 6PM

TAKEOVER SPACE

MON – FRI, 8.30AM – 6PM SAT, 10AM – 6PM

SCIENCE GALLERY LONDON IS CLOSED SUNDAYS & BANK HOLIDAYSS