Would you call this art?

shillelagh · 20-11-2009, 16:44

A dance artist who has epilepsy has made the decision to stop taking her medication to try to induce a seizure/fit whatever you want to call it ..when shes on stage and get people to film her on their mobiles while shes having one ...

BBC News - Artist to induce seizure on stage

its been funded by the arts council ...

Now everyone knows i have epilepsy, i made the decision many years ago to be upfront about it as i never know when im going to go into one .. and its better that everyone knows so if i do go into one theyre not worried and know whats happening. But this i dont agree with. As far as im concerned what i want to be is to be fit free ..that way i can get my driving licence back, i can go away on holiday without thinking am i going to have one - whats the medical facilities like, etc. She is trying to induce one ... is she not bothered what her family might be thinking .. they'll already be worried about her .. what about any injuries she may suffer from this .. you've seen me when ive had one .. sometimes im ok ..others its a picture!!

They say theyre doing this to raise the awareness of epilepsy ..
Diane Horton of Arts Council England said: "This project raises awareness of a disability through the artist's personal experience of epilepsy and we support this.
"We have made sure that a full risk assessment of the project took place, including medical advice, and that appropriate medical support is available during the performance.
"Rita is an important artist whose work deserves to be seen and the Arts Council both respects the creative decisions she makes in her work and supports her right as a disabled person to be heard."

What we need to do about epilepsy is not to hide it away like they used to do in times of old .. rather bring it out into the open .. people who have epilepsy be open about it .. tell people what its like to have epilepsy and if you have a seizure while out and about .. not to be embarrassed its not something you can stop .. lancsdave will vouch for that one .. i had one while talking to him ..

rant over!!!

BERNADETTE · 20-11-2009, 16:54

It certainly isn't my idea of art in fact I would go as far as to say it is lunacy. Is she not aware that the medication she is taking is there to help her? An epileptic fit can kill you, a friend of ours died just over ten years ago whilst having a seizure. Sheer nadness to try and trigger a seizure!!!

Gayle · 20-11-2009, 17:01

I agree with the thing about bringing it out into the open. So many people wouldn't know what to do if someone had an epileptic fit. It's really important to raise awareness.

But is it art? I'm not so sure. I don't think it something that the Arts Council should be funding.

cashman · 20-11-2009, 17:05

agree with gayle about awareness needed, but its as much art as cashy is P.C.

accyman · 20-11-2009, 17:43

epilepsy = art ?

what next ?

throwing peopel out of wheel chairs onto a paint sodden canvas and calling the resulting trails they make as they claw there way off the canvas "ESCAPE"

or

making sculptures out of bloody stools to promote awareness of bowel cancer perhaps

seems to me somones using epilepsy to make a few quick quid rather than actually giving a damn about making people aware of it

teh fact that this is getting funding at all especially in these hard times is just as sickening as teh person using their illness to screw some money out of it

steve · 20-11-2009, 19:39

its sick

Guinness · 20-11-2009, 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by shillelagh

A dance artist who has epilepsy has made the decision to stop taking her medication to try to induce a seizure/fit whatever you want to call it

Shillelagh, as an sufferer of this condition, you obviously know the diffence between a seizure and a fit, you should be educating people NOT belittling the difference (and i'm guessing you are tonic/clonic)

Bernadette..I have no doubt you are speaking the truth, mistakes happen,but, the main causes of death in epilepsy are SUDEP and Status Eplepticus..
SUDEP (sudden death in epilepsy), still being researched. the jury is still out, BUT (without going too deep) early research states if someone is around it can be avoided.
STATUS..usually consultants recognise who is likely to go into Status and medicate accordingly (rectal diazepam etc..)

Gayle..What to do if someone has an epileptic seizure?....NOTHING!!!!..except make them comfortable, ensure their safety, reassure, and stay with them.

You know I've read this article....I can't actually find what kind of epilepsy (out of the thouands of variations) the dancer suffers from?

For the rest of you................You do realise that 'deja vu' can be classed as a mild epileptic seizure, as can that feeling of falling just as you wake up

LYNX1 · 20-11-2009, 21:12

[quote=shillelagh;764113]A dance artist who has epilepsy has made the decision to stop taking her medication to try to induce a seizure/fit whatever you want to call it ..when shes on stage and get people to film her on their mobiles while shes having one ...

BBC News - Artist to induce seizure on stage

its been funded by the arts council ...

Wondering if they got a lottery grant?

BERNADETTE · 20-11-2009, 22:23

Yes Guinness I am speaking the truth why on earth would I say something like that if it wasn't true? From what you have stated it appears our friend suffered a SUDEP as he was alone at the time of his death.

Less · 20-11-2009, 22:48

Having watched my Sister-in-law suffer from rather nasty bouts of epilepsy at least once a day for the whole of her life and observed the problems it caused for her, I would say anyone deliberately trying to induce this torment on themselves needs a different type of treatment from her doctor, I would class it as self harm rather than art and anyone attempting to encourage her is highly irresponsible.

It's about time the arts council stopped funding such ridiculous ideas or are they doing so just to be 'controversial'?

Taggy · 20-11-2009, 23:47

If the Arts council decides to fund this it should have a ruddy great bomb stuck under it......this has all the attributes of a "Freak Show"........My Son has epilepsy, amongst other disabilities, and this would not help achieve meaningful help or attention!

Best Regards - Taggy

shillelagh · 21-11-2009, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guinness

Shillelagh, as an sufferer of this condition, you obviously know the diffence between a seizure and a fit, you should be educating people NOT belittling the difference (and i'm guessing you are tonic/clonic)

Bernadette..I have no doubt you are speaking the truth, mistakes happen,but, the main causes of death in epilepsy are SUDEP and Status Eplepticus..
SUDEP (sudden death in epilepsy), still being researched. the jury is still out, BUT (without going too deep) early research states if someone is around it can be avoided.
STATUS..usually consultants recognise who is likely to go into Status and medicate accordingly (rectal diazepam etc..)

Gayle..What to do if someone has an epileptic seizure?....NOTHING!!!!..except make them comfortable, ensure their safety, reassure, and stay with them.

You know I've read this article....I can't actually find what kind of epilepsy (out of the thouands of variations) the dancer suffers from?

For the rest of you................You do realise that 'deja vu' can be classed as a mild epileptic seizure, as can that feeling of falling just as you wake up

Guinness as far as i know the 'old' word for what happens to me is a 'fit' which is what my doctor when i was a child, my mum, all the neurologists ive had called it ... but in the 90's when everything was getting PC etc .. they changed the name to 'seizure' and got rid of the name grand mal and petit mal and changed to tonic clonic, partial - simple or complex ... to make it more acceptable to people. As people still had the impression a 'fit' meant falling down, foaming at the mouth, wetting themselves, arms flailing around etc .. not staring off into space for a couple of minutes or a few jerks etc .. That was why they brought in the change of name - plus all the research was going on and they were finding different fits so it seemed easier.

Me being me, brought up by a mother who had brother die due to an epileptic fit in a pond in the 1930's, who had a son who grew out of it and then had me .. who grew out of it and then returned .. still uses the old terms .. and even the neurologists ive seen still use the old terms .. and if you've read any of my posts or my blogs re my epilepsy then you would see i dont belittle it .. and as far as i know .. a lot of people who have come into contact with me who hadnt before had any contact with someone with epilepsy they know a bit more about it after they leave and what to do if i do have one ... in fact not long ago i was on accy market and had one by the side of lancsdave then market stall, another i was on the phone to an accywebber - he rang for an ambulance seeing as he wasnt anywhere near and kindly gave them permission to kick my door in .. but did actually tell them to try the back door ...which luckily was open .. but this is it .. i have epilepsy .. but i do my best not to let it get me down .. because if i did i would probably have more .. and i dont want more .. if you want to meet face to face .. i will .. im happy to do so.

Guinness · 21-11-2009, 09:35

I've obviously offended you, which wasn't my intention at all. I sincerely apologise.

Your consultant will probably use the word 'fit' to you, because you do indeed suffer from fits, but, not all people who have epileptic seizures have fits..I was trying to point out in my clumsy way that as a sufferer you should be helping to raise awareness of this distinction.

The reason we no longer use the two categories, grand and petit mal,is nothing to do with acceptability, it is because they are not descriptive enough to explain exactly what kind of seizures the sufferer has, as we have both pointed out there are far more than two classifications of seizure.

Being epileptic does not make you stupid, nor does it mean you have a mental health problem, it is not a disability (though sufferers are protected by the disability discrimination act)... it is a medical condition, just like angina or MS are medical conditions.

I think what the dancer is trying to do is heighten the awareness of epilepsy by showing that epileptics are 'normal' people who can do 'normal' things, have a seizure, (and i'm guessing in the dancers case it will entail going into a fit), recover and go about their daily business.

Is it art? Who can say, is a pile of bricks art?
Is it dangerous? Unlikely, she does not intend to do 3 performances a day for a 13 week run, and medical aid is close by.

But she has already started raising awareness since it merits a BBC webpage and a discussion here.

Once again I apologise for any offence

mattylad · 21-11-2009, 17:39

It doesnt make the slightest difference what its called, it should not be used in this way.

perhaps many complaints to the arts council are called for?

Eric · 21-11-2009, 18:09

Seems as if folks have opinions on what art isn't .... but what is "art"? The question posed was: "Would you call this art"? But unless there is some common understanding, some concensus about what constitutes "art", then it really can't be answered. If the question implies "should this be funded from the public purse?", then politics, in a general sense, becomes the issue, not art.