The George Davies Centre Gallery
Funding from the Edith Murphy Foundation allowed us to open up the George Davies Centre to the public.
Past Exhibitions
Dr Jonny Acheson, Parkinson’s Portrayed
Parkinson’s Portrayed presents a series of 32 informative illustration by Dr Jonny Acheson, an Emergency Medicine Consultant in Leicester and Lead for Clinical Assessment at the University of Leicester Medical School, each representing a symptom of Parkinson’s disease.
Emma Fay Exhibitions
Artist Emma Fay uses concept body artistry to create exhibitions, media and live installations. U.matter has collaborated with Emma on two exhibitions: ‘Remedies & Reason’ and ‘Resilience’, both of which involved members of the public and looked at themes relating to wellbeing.
Working with participants of the Community Learning Project (CLiP), the West Indian Senior Citizens Leicester Ageing Together Project and members of the public to understand their impressions of wellbeing and mental health; following one-to-one interviewing, Emma visually portrayed their perceptions of mental wellbeing through the medium of body art.
The University of Leicester: Rethink Your Mind
The University of Leicester Yellow Book was been created in partnership with Rethink Your Mind as part of the Health Matters initiative. It features photography, art, poetry and illustrations submitted by students and staff inspired by the #IFeelBetterWhen movement and has been designed as a source of inspiration for anyone wanting to positively support their mental health and wellbeing using various tips and techniques, including creative expression. An exhibition of the 30 chosen finalists was displayed in the George Davies Centre.
Stefania Laccu: Somatic Identities
Stefania Laccu’s research is rooted the field of painting and mental illnesses. Somatic Symptom Disorders (SSD) is a condition in which emotional distress such as anxiety affects the body, generating physical discomfort and pain; there is not a proper cure. Her works embody the manifestation and the course of a somatic disorder within the body, through a technique she calls Overlapping.
Jo Dacombe: Microseasons
Jo Dacombe’s interests include mapping, walking, public space, sense of place, layers of history and the power of objects. Developing from her original practice as a painter, Jo now creates work, installations and interventions through a variety of media. From 2014 – 2016 Jo was Artist in Residence in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, and an Honorary Visiting Fellow until 2018.
Jade Sarson & Oli Williams: The Weight of Expectation
Sociologist Dr Oli Williams and illustrator Jade Sarson worked together to create a comic about the stigma faced by obese people on a daily basis. Using research, interviews and photography, the group created the Weight of Expectation, a piece that challenged readers’ views of obesity that are prevalent within society.
Artwork pictured: The Weight of Expectation Comic Cover by Jade Sarson