Identity at Wellcome Collection

The exhibition about Identity at Wellcome Collection aims to take a look at the age old question of Who Am I? with several different mini exhibitions. Using advances in technology, philosophy, historical perspective and projections of the future, Identity at Wellcome Collection takes a long hard look in the mirror.

Identity exhibition
Eight Rooms, Nine Lives is the subtitle of the Identity exhibition which highlights the way in which the exhibition has been set up. With eight separate mini exhibitions to investigate, visitors are able to travel back and forward in time, examining the ways in which the nature of identity has been defined over the years, and how it may come to be so in the future.

Science and technology
The development of new sciences such as biomedical ones have made the nature of identification much easier. Identity at Wellcome Collection looks at fingerprints, voice recognition, iris scans and DNA profiles, all of which are used for official and legal proof of who we are. But these advancements don't have any impact on the nature of identity in the mind.

Scientists, transexuals and twins
Eight separate people will be the focus of the eight different rooms at Identity at Wellcome Collection, with each of them forming the basis for the varying themes. From the likes of Sir Alec Jeffreys who developed the technique of DNA profiling and Franz Joseph Gall, the 19th century pioneer of the now defunct science of phrenology, to April Ashley who was the first person to undergo gender reassignment and the Hinch family twins, whose daughters are genetically identical but three years apart, the rooms cover different aspects of the nature of identity.

Late night events at Identity
Wellcome Collection has set up a series of evening and nighttime events to accompany the Identity exhibition. Billy Bragg has created a new musical that he will be performing from 19th April 2010 onwards in the Wellcome Collection gallery space. You can also hear from a fascinating selection of people as they talk about people losing their identity deliberately, the national DNA database, how animals and insects work as groups, and what would happen if we could erase parts of our memories. The late night events programme looks like this:

19th April - 12th May 2010 - Billy Bragg performs his musical, Pressure Drop for audiences at the exhibition.

3pm Saturday 23rd January 2010 - Secret Lives
Hear about the people who have given up their old indentities and taken on new ones.

7pm Thursday 28th January 2010 - Blurring Boundaries
Investigate the differences in people of different race and discover why the research has a dangerous past.

7pm Thursday 4th February 2010 - National DNA Database on Trial
Discuss why the database has caused so much controversy and why it is under review by the European Court of Human Rights.

7pm Friday 26th & 10.30am Saturday 27th February 2010 - China: Birth and Belonging
Explore the Chinese ideas about birth and belonging through performance, talks and discussion. Tickets are £30.00 and include refreshments and lunch.

7pm Thursday 11th March 2010 - Wellcome Debate
Should scientists report result directly to the public?

7pm Thursday 18th March 2010 - Creature Collective
How have certain species evolve to work as a collective rather than a group of individuals?

7pm Thursday 25th March 2010 - Rewiring the Mind
Should we erase traumatic memories or do they help make up part of our identity?

Identity at Wellcome Collection takes place from Thursday 26th November 2009 - Tuesday 6th April 2010. All events are free to attend unless otherwise stated.

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