“Identity: Eight rooms, nine lives
26 November 2009 – 06 April 2010
What influences or determines our sense of who we are? What makes one person distinct from another? How does science inform human identity? This major new exhibition explores the tension between the way we view ourselves and how others see us.
Explore the subject of genetic testing. How curious are you about the information in your DNA?
Nine individual stories introduce eight distinct rooms. One room begins with the story of scientist Alec Jeffreys’ invention of DNA fingerprinting 25 years ago, the diaries of Samuel Pepys introduce another, while self-portraiture is explored through the work of the Jewish artist Claude Cahun, who despite being sentenced to death for acts of resistance, survived the Nazi occupation of Jersey.
Find out more about Clive Wearing, whose diaries are featured in the Samuel Pepys room
Other subjects tackled include twins, phrenology and brain imaging, gender and sexuality, race and prejudice, and acting and improvisation.
This exhibition is free. ‘Identity: Eight rooms, nine lives’ is part of The Identity Project.”
Read more at Wellcome Collection (Thanks James)
"
“How curious are you about the information in your DNA?”
OMG!! obviously you’ve never met my family!! :0
That sounds fascinating. Esp the Samuel Pepys diaries. Not sure about the ‘how others view us’ bit though…..
LC x
I saw this exhibition today, didn’t think I was going to like it but it was really interesting. I recommend it to everyone.
(“,)
Great review of the exhibit. Just a note that Cahun was not Jewish, or at least not to my knowledge as it is not mentioned in anything I have read on her! It is definitely not mentioned at the exhibition (I should know, I work there!).
Msg from Abeo: All the text is from the Wellcome Collection website
did you read her wikipedia page? – there’s a picture of her gravestone that might interest you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Cahun – Phillis