What remains of the exhibition.

 

​Knowledge Graph – “What do you know about migraine?”

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Visitors were asked to place a dot on a scale ranging from “I know little about migraine” to “I know a lot about migraine” both when entering and when leaving the exhibition.

 

The digitised analysis identifies 60 numbered participants. Ten people marked only the first point. Among the pairs that could be reliably matched, the clearly legible cases show a distinct tendency towards a higher self-assessment at the end of the exhibition visit.

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The graph does not measure objective medical knowledge. Rather, it shows how visitors assess their own knowledge and whether this assessment changes over the course of their visit to the exhibition.

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Body map – ‘Where do you feel your migraine?’

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On a silhouette of the body, those affected could mark where they themselves experience migraine. Those not affected were invited to mark where they suspect migraine occurs.

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The resulting collective drawing shows a high concentration of markings in the head area, but at the same time numerous markings on the face, neck, shoulders, torso, arms and legs. Different colours, lines, dots, spirals, shapes and symbolic forms highlight the diversity of the representations.

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What struck many visitors in particular was that, on the map, migraine did not appear exclusively in the head. As a result, the body map repeatedly served as a starting point for discussions about the complexity of the condition.

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Question Wall

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The Question Wall was used, but significantly less frequently than the body map. The questions related, amongst other things, to the definition and causes of migraine, hormonal migraine, coping with the condition in everyday life, and experiences of not being understood.

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The few contributions nevertheless cover a broad spectrum: from medical questions to very personal statements about loneliness, insecurity and the relationship with healthcare.

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Whisper Box

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The whisper box was used only to a very limited extent. In addition to a test question, one anonymous comment was made regarding the possible role of the contraceptive pill as a cause of migraine.

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This low level of usage is also relevant for further research. The installation was actually intended to create a safe space for anonymous comments. However, the layout of the space and the presence of the artist may have made it difficult for participants to use it in a truly anonymous manner.

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By comparison, the body map was used much more extensively. This suggests that visual and body-related forms of participation may have lower barriers to entry than the request to put personal experiences into writing.

 

What can we learn from this?

 

The four stations showcase different forms of knowledge and participation. The findings are exploratory and not representative. They do not constitute a medical study and do not allow conclusions to be drawn about the exhibition’s effectiveness in a statistical sense.

 

However, they provide insight into how people understand migraine, how they physically visualise or experience the condition, and what forms of participation facilitate dialogue.

 

It is precisely this interplay of different forms of knowledge that forms the basis for further artistic research.