Mad Hatter Grey Matter Festival

Event Description:

Curator tours of the Anatomical Museum 10 am and 2 pm, Wednesday 18th March & Thursday 19th March 2020, Meeting Point – Doorway 3, Old Medical School Quad, Teviot Place This is a rare chance to experience a guided tour of the Anatomical Museum and see one of the largest collections of Anatomy in the UK. The museum opened in its current location in 1884, with collections on show that date back to the establishment of the Edinburgh Medical School in 1726. Part of the tour will focus on the museum’s phrenology collection and the attempts by phrenologists to understand the brain in the 19th century. Free, but booking is essential.

Clinical Drawings on Display 11 am – 1 pm, Wednesday 18 March 2020, Centre for Research Collections, Sixth floor of Edinburgh University Main Library, 30 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ Lothian Health Services Archive has a fascinating collection of medical illustrations generated through the practice of Edinburgh neurosurgeon, Norman Dott (1897 – 1973), and these beautifully rendered clinical drawings showing anatomical detail of, and surgical procedure to, the brain will be on display in the Centre for Research Collections: this is your opportunity for an exclusive viewing! Free, but booking is essential.

What happens at the Aha! Moment? 3 – 4 pm, Wednesday 18th March 2020, St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, Edinburgh. Using a combination of neuroimaging techniques like ultra-high field fMRI, high-density EEG, and non-invasive brain stimulation, Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya (Director of Research, Department of Psychology, Goldsmith University) will present a neuronal trajectory of creative cognition. For example, what happens at the Aha! Moment? Tickets cost £6/£3

Neurotheatre: Simulated Brain Surgery 5.30 – 8 pm, Wednesday 18 March 2020, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Doorway 3, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh Are you interested in medicine and surgery? ‘Neurotheatre – Simulated Brain Surgery!’ is back due to popular demand! Edinburgh Medical School will be opening up the historic Anatomy Lecture Theatre for an immersive, captivating re-enactment of brain surgery, featuring state-of-the-art surgical technology, alongside a diverse cast of neurosurgeons, A&E doctors, paramedics and medical students! Free, but booking is essential!

Explore Synaesthesia with Professor Michael Banissy 2 – 3 pm, Thursday 19th March 2020, St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, Edinburgh Professor Michael Banissy (Professor of Psychology and a specialist in Social Neuroscience, Goldsmiths, University of London), will be looking at mirror-sensory synaesthesia: when people feel physical sensations on their own body that they see happening to another person. Tickets cost £6/£3.

Exploring Synaesthesia Demonstrations 3.15 – 4pm, Thursday 19th March, St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, Edinburgh As a follow-on to Prof Banissy’s talk, taking place prior to these demonstration workshops – you can book on to a 15 minute workshop where you can explore your mirror-sensory levels. These workshops are limited to 10 people in each sessions so book early to avoid disappointment. Free. To book, contact St Cecilia’s Hall on 0131 6502600 or email Museums@ed.ac.uk

Prescribe Culture: Findings and Future 10.30 am – 12 noon, Friday 20th March 2020, St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, Edinburgh Through autumn and winter of 2019, the University of Edinburgh’s Museums Service delivered a social prescribing pilot project and set the question – ‘Can Edinburgh’s heritage collections and architecture support students presenting with mild-moderate mental health difficulties?’ Join Ruthanne Baxter, University of Edinburgh Museums Services Manager and Prescribe Culture Lead and a panel of other speakers to learn about the how this pilot project came about, how is was delivered, what the findings are and what ‘next steps’ look like. Free, but please book.

The Musical Brain 5 – 5.45 pm, Friday 20th March 2020, St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, Edinburgh Join Malcolm Galloway, an award winning musician (composer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer of progressive rock band Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate), UCL Medical School honorary senior lecturer in pathology, and former consultant neuropathologist. In this talk Malcolm explores the biology of music, and how this influences him as a musician. The talk will be followed by a performance by Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate including neuroscience-inspired songs from their memory themed album ‘Out Of Mind’. Tickets £4/£2.

Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate in Concert 7 – 8.30 pm, Friday 20th March 2020, St Cecilia’s Hall, Niddry Street, Edinburgh Rock band ‘Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate’ have won many awards for their albums fusing progressive rock and electronic music. Many of their songs are inspired by the brain and evolution. Lead singer/songwriter Malcolm Galloway is also a consultant neuropathologist (UCLH) / honorary senior lecturer in pathology (UCL) and lectures on the evolution of the brain. Tickets £10/£6.