
Painting with Light: The National Temperance Hospital
Event Information
Description
Would you like a gin and tonic with your appendectomy?* Alcohol was a key weapon in the arsenal of 19th century doctors, until an influential cabal of medics broke away from the establishment to found the world's first temperance hospital. The National Temperance Hospital operated on a new set of principles, informed by science and a growing perception of the harms of alcohol. Largely overlooked and underused since the turn of the century, we will illuminate the hospital's progressive architecture and unique place in London history with the pixelstick, a technique which brings history to life with light painting.
In this site-specific exploration, we will work with members of the audience to uniquely visualise the story of the hospital, bringing back to life this neglected icon of the city, and its role in our relationship to alcohol, medicine, and the stirrings of a new data science.
The event will require some walking or standing; please enquire if you have mobility-related needs or are a wheelchair user.
*no alcohol or surgical procedures will be offered as part of this event.
There will be a limit of 15 people for this tour.