On a rainy day in February, a crowd gathered at Science Gallery London for a special art exhibition. The artworks on display were a result of collaborations between artists and scientists, who approached their work from a unique perspective: neurodivergence. While the scientists were studying this topic, the artists were living it. Despite their different backgrounds, the NEUROART exhibition aimed to bridge the gap between these worlds by bringing lived experiences into the biomedical research space and amplifying neurodivergent voices in the field of neuroscience. The pairs had the opportunity to learn from each other’s expertise and experience, resulting in thought-provoking art pieces that explored themes emerging from their interactions. To learn more about this innovative project, I spoke to my colleague Bethan Burnside, founder of NEUROART and current Science Communicator at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research.
Hi Bethan, you’re the founder of NEUROART. What made you start this project?
Burnside \ “It was 2022, and I was in the thick of my PhD in Biomedical Sciences in Antwerp. Doing a PhD was challenging in itself, but especially since I was navigating a fresh diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This came as a bit of a surprise. For ages—despite having a background in psychology and neuroscience—I was convinced only young boys got diagnosed with ADHD. It really threw a spanner in the works in regard to my identity and how I perceived myself. The pandemic gave me time to delve into the online neurodivergent space and get to know its culture, language, and community. The more I delved into it, the more I felt a gap between my neurodivergent reality and the research world I was living in. There was often a dichotomy of language and approach whereby research tended to follow the “medical model” of neurodiversity—viewing experiences such as autism and ADHD as things to be prevented, treated, or cured—as opposed to the “social model”, which argues that disability partly arises from societal barriers to inclusion. This dissonance became the seed for NEUROART, with the aim of fostering a dialogue and exploring how we might begin to reconcile some of these different perspectives.”
Why do you think it’s important to combine art and science?
Burnside \ “Art has this incredible ability to take us to uncharted territories. It allows us to explore ideas and emotions that might not be easily captured by scientific methods. It can also make complex concepts tangible and relatable. In the context of NEUROART, it became a way for scientists to encounter neurodiversity from a different angle than they might be used to, perhaps even make them feel a little uncomfortable. Stepping outside their comfort zone can spark new ideas and a deeper understanding from the perspective of lived experience expertise. Art also brings people together, and at the end of the day, art touches the soul—it’s a powerful tool for fostering empathy and understanding.”
Can you describe some of the works displayed at the NEUROART exhibition?
Burnside \ “The exhibition really was the culmination of a lot of hard work and collaboration. We partnered with two labs at King’s College London. One lab specializes in ADHD using cognitive neuroscience methods, while the other studies developmental neurobiology with a focus on autism and schizophrenia. Each lab was paired with a neurodivergent artist who explored themes of health and neurodiversity through their art-science collaborations. Each pair had a different approach to their collaboration. For example, one artist participated in an EEG experiment in the lab, while another drew on conversations she had with a researcher on cell care, which she later used as a parallel for the care of the neurodivergent community in science and medicine. In addition to displaying the artwork stemming from these collaborations, the exhibition featured a film documenting one of the art-science collaborations, pieces from an Open Call for students at King’s, as well as interactive exhibits where visitors had the opportunity to share their own ideas for research topics that would be of real value to neurodivergent people. We also had an incredible panel discussion which included a mix of perspectives from both lived experience experts and researchers. What I’m most proud of, though, is that I really felt we created a safe space for people to express their experiences. My own artwork reflecting on my personal experiences with neurodiversity was also on display.”
I didn’t know you were an artist too! What was your contribution?
Burnside \ “Back when I was diagnosed, I craved a creative outlet for my internal chaos as a counterpoint to the sterility and rigidity of the stem cell lab I was working in. Inspired by the philosophies and methodologies of Whitefeather Hunter’s BioArt Coven, I began growing bacteria cultures in petri dishes at home. It became a cathartic way to express myself, far from the strict protocols and restrictions I grappled with in my PhD. I’d swab different parts of myself—my hands, my hair, my armpits—and just let the bacteria grow and do its thing across the agar-agar jelly, whatever that might be. Sometimes striking, unexpected patterns emerged; other times, mold or other contamination would take over. But that was okay; it was a way of reclaiming agency and exploring the messy beauty of life outside the controlled lab environment. Photographs of these microbial creations ended up being part of the NEUROART exhibition.” [Editor’s note: and on the cover of this magazine!]
You’re still in a neuroscientific environment, albeit in a different role. Do you encounter difficulties in reconciling the scientific and neurodivergent worlds?
Burnside \ (Thinking) “Actually, yes. Even in my interview for this role I was very open about my ADHD experience and how I might approach work differently to other people, and I have never been shy about this aspect of my identity since working here. But at the end of the day, being my authentic self and advocating for my accessibility needs is always something I have to navigate. That being said, the NEUROART project has been instrumental in giving me the courage and a platform to talk about these things more openly with my colleagues. I’m still passionate about championing for diversity and opening up conversations in the workplace wherever possible. And I’ve found that working as a science communicator comes a lot more naturally to me than working as a researcher did, so I’m really happy to have stumbled across this career path.”
We work together as science communicators, and we’ve had some discussions on how to write about our researchers’ work on neurodivergence. For example, the use of the term ‘disorder’ and seeing neurodiversity as a condition that needs to be fixed. Do you have any tips here for other science communicators?
Burnside \ “It’s important to understand that language is dynamic, and general preferences within the neurodivergent community can fluctuate in line with shifting norms and social movements. I can’t speak on behalf of every neurodivergent person: everyone will have their own preferences as to how they choose to identify. The best thing you can do when interviewing someone who is neurodivergent would be to ask them how they would like to be identified. For example, whether they would prefer people-first language (e.g. “a person with autism”) or identity-first language (e.g. “an autistic person”). A commonly suggested middle-ground is to alternate between these two styles, which shows respect for the diversity of individual preferences within the community. Another suggestion would be to be aware of the tendency for communicators to produce solely “inspiration porn” stories, or to use condescending or patronizing narratives that do not reflect the nuance and complexity that makes all of us human. One final tip is to not be afraid to speak up and have these conversations with scientists. Even though they might be used to another vocabulary, I’ve found that most have not been opposed to alternative suggestions. Once you explain the reasoning behind it, a lot of people are actually open to adapting the way they talk about neurodiversity.”
“The best thing you can do when interviewing someone who is neurodivergent would be to ask them how they would like to be identified.” — Bethan burnside
What’s next for NEUROART?
Burnside \ (Laughs) “Honestly, the future of NEUROART is a bit up in the air right now. Running this project alongside a full-time job has been pretty intense for the past two years. The positive response, though, has been overwhelming. Artists and scientists alike have reached out with questions and expressed interest in getting involved. So, we’ll see. I would love to organize an even bigger event in the future, but it would have to be done sustainably. Until now, NEUROART has been entirely volunteer-run—massive shout-out to Shaakir and Keshvi, who’ve been part of the core team since the beginning. We had some fantastic partners who helped sponsor the event. It took a village to pull off the NEUROART exhibition and we really worked our asses off to make it happen. So it’ll depend on how fast we recover from that! “
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