PSYCHE

Science Gallery Bengaluru has begun its new online exhibition season, PSYCHE, that explores the complexities of the human mind in socio-political and cultural contexts. The 45-day exhibition is on showcase from 01 April to 15 May 2022 and is developed in collaboration with National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, The Wellbeing Project and Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent. 

Curated by the Science Gallery Bengaluru team, PSYCHE brings together philosophers, neuroscientists, artists, psychologists, filmmakers, sociologists, writers and performers. Shaped with the advice of a multidisciplinary panel of scholars - Richard Wingate, Sanjeev Jain, Ulrike Kluge and Vikram Patel, and curatorial advisors - Jill Bennett, Marius Kwint, Natasha Ginwala and Ruth Garde, the exhibition will feature 10 exhibits, 6 films and 40+ live programmes including workshops, masterclasses and public lectures. 

While seeking to break down barriers between research and society, the 10 multidisciplinary projects trace the complexities of the mind from the depths of anxiety to the heights of euphoria. An audio-visual installation ‘Black Men’s Minds’ rests upon the voices of black men who are often missing in conversations on mental health, trauma and stigma. ‘McGill Pain Questionnaire’ visually investigates the objective method for appraising pain (endometriosis and adenomyosis), in relation to a subjective experience against the backdrop of a classic clinical pain assessment tool. ‘The Asylum’ examines the history of mental institutions in India set up during the colonial period through text and archival images. 

The exhibits also feature interactive experiences such as ‘Playing with Reality’, based on the winner of the Best VR Immersive Work in 2021 at the Venice International Film Festival which unravels what the phenomenon of psychosis can teach about the limits of reality; ‘The Serpent of A Thousand Coils’ gives participants of the game an empathetic insight into the minds of people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); another participatory web experience ‘Change My Mind’ helps understand the implication of brain implants on the mind. ‘Schizophrenia and the Brain’ explores ongoing clinical research that can help understand and identify schizophrenia to overcome stigma, inculcate empathy, and reimagine mental healthcare. 

‘Hamlets Live’ is a 6-part performance that explores (Shakespeare’s) Hamlet’s inner monologues in a world that is strongly dictated by the real and hyperreal aspects of social media. 

To continue the conversation, PSYCHE also includes film screenings and discussions, masterclasses, workshops, quizzes, panel discussions, and a museum walkthrough. An activity handbook, audio and reading material, and a video-game arcade will allow the audience to delve further into the topic. PSYCHE also showcases responses from the audience to the outreach programmes in the run-up to the exhibition - Writing Prompts and Photo Prompts -, in which select participants have been mentored by Anmol Tikoo and Sharbendu De respectively. 

You can register for the exhibition here: https://psyche.scigalleryblr.org