Eidolon

Eidolon is a multi-component practice output comprised of live immersive performance, video, installation, virtual reality and a fully illustrated monograph with texts by Hood and Dame Marina Warner. The research explores the relationship between the human body and technology through a focus on the manikins used in medical training. Eidolon drew on a hybridity of artistic genres and techniques to explore elemental questions provoked by the act of simulating a human being. The output raised questions about the limits of human identity, the relations between natural and technological humanity and the role of machines in the construction of selfhood. Through its broad dissemination and engagement, the project brought the general public into spaces usually only accessible to medical professionals. It also prompted reflection amongst medical practitioners on the function of art within clinical settings. Eidolon was developed at the Scottish Centre for Simulation & Clinical Human Factors (SCSCHF), Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert. Live performances were staged within NHS medical simulation centres around Scotland. It was integrated into a professional clinical learning module at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh and was well received amongst the medical community. The project has been presented in different iterations in national and international platforms and venues (Edinburgh International Festival 2016, The World Congress of Biomedical Ethics, 2016 and galleries in Stockholm and Madrid). Audiences for the live performance and installation were in excess of 3,000, and secondary audiences from social media were in excess of 64,000. The project was supported by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award (£29k), Creative Scotland (£5k) and the University of Edinburgh.