The Chemistry of Memory

This will be fun!

The Chemistry of memory: a workshop exploring memory through science, colour and poetry

Date: 13th June 2023 Time: 17:15-18:45 BST Location: Online on MS Teams Register here In this fascinating Open Spaces symposium, chemist and poet Dr Stephen Paul Wren will introduce the chemistry of memory, exploring topics such as how synaptic plasticity affects memory, and will share some of his own poetry. Artist Jo Volley will develop these discussions further asking what are the colours of memory, how do we perceive and process memory visually, and how do we remember colour. Artist and writer Prof Sharon Morris will reflect on the ideas offered by Stephen and Jo through her own poetry, giving participants an opportunity to respond creatively through word, colour or images of their own.

More about our speakers Dr Stephen Paul Wren is a chemist. He was educated at Cambridge University. His books ‘Formulations’ (co-written with Dr Miranda Lynn Barnes) and 'A Celestial Crown of Sonnets' (co-written with Dr Sam Illingworth) were published by Small Press and Penteract Press respectively. Stephen's poetry has appeared in places such as 14 magazine and Tears in the Fence. Jo Volley is an artist. Her research projects include The Pigment Timeline Project, From Pigments to Solar Power, Colour & Emotion Toolkit, The Pigment Farm. She is the director of Colour & Poetry: A Symposium and edits its annual publication Colour & Poetry and along with Dr Ruth Siddall established World Pigment Day. She is currently part of the part of the ION-DRI public art programme commissioned to develop a new work exploring the topic of colour and dementia for the building. Prof Sharon Morris has published two collections of poetry and an artist’s book of poems and images with Enitharmon Press and Editions. As part of her teaching at the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, she set up the Slade Poetry Shed as an online resource for writing and writing workshops. She has also run poetry workshops for asylum seekers, including a series entitled ‘Mother and Other Tongues’, focussing on different languages.

No experience of chemistry, art or poetry needed. All welcome.