[News] Update on UK "live seizure" performance

[Birdbomb]

This is the most insane thing I have ever heard of!



Epileptic plans to induce seizures in front of live audience... in the name of art

A step too far? Epileptic plans to induce seizures in front of live audience... in the name of art
An epileptic dance artist will attempt to induce a seizure in front of a live theatre audience.
Rita Marcalo has stopped taking her epilepsy medication and will use stimulants such as strobe lighting to bring on her condition.


Audience members will watch as she fits on stage accompanied by a loud alarm and bright lights. They will even be encouraged to record the event.
Marcalo, who is the artistic director of the Instant Dissidence dance theatre in Leeds, told The Yorkshire Post: 'One of the reasons I am doing this is because epilepsy is an invisible disability. Now I want to raise awareness of it and make it visible.'


The audience at the event, entitled 'Involuntary Dances', will be provided with a range of entertainment as they wait for Marcalo's seizure to begin.


According to the theatre's website: 'During the 24 hours Marcalo will be engaging in a series of epilepsy-inducing acts: from ingesting legal brain stimulants (alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, dark chocolate), to stimulating the brain through strobe lights and specially-designed computer programmes, to raising her bodily temperature, to fasting, to trying out methods utilised to induce seizures in animal testing, to sleep deprivation.


'At any point in the event Marcalo might have an epileptic seizure. Whenever this happens, a loud alarm will sound, lights will brighten, music will stop, and a series of cameras will start recording her seizure.


'Audience members will also be encouraged to record it on their mobile phones.'


But an epilepsy charity today condemned the performance - being shown at the Bradford Playhouse from December 11 - as 'potentially very dangerous'.


A spokesperson for Epilepsy Action said: 'We recognise that everyone is free to make choices about their own health. However, we are very concerned that a person with epilepsy would stop taking their anti-epilepsy medication voluntarily in order to induce a seizure.


'This is potentially very dangerous and something we would strongly urge this person not to do.


'Seizures can bring with them the risk of injury from jerking or falling and, in the worst cases, death.
'People with epilepsy should not make any changes to their anti-epilepsy medication without consulting with their doctor first.'


The charity said it had already received a complaint about the planned performance, adding: 'It is also concerning that the performance could influence others to do something similar.


'At the very least, the performance should carry a health warning advising people that they should not attempt this themselves under any circumstances.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-audience.html

[CathyAnn31]

Hmmm, whatever floats your boat I guess.

I would think seeing something like this would only terrify her audience instead of educating them. Then again I wonder how many would show up to watch... Doesn't sound like something I'd schedule my day to go see.

I kind of hope she doesn't have a seizure during that time so she looks like a big ol "insert word here".

[Cint]

I read that article earlier this morning, also and thought she's an idiot for doing so. What if she dies in front of the audience? Is there going to be any Dr. on sight?

There is a proper way to educate people, but this is absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't waste my time, either.

[Chris515]

This is ridiculous, I agree. It almost makes a mockery of what we are dealing with every day.

It is not the way to educate people. People in the audience are not going to take epilepsy seriously because of this, it's likely to be a joke to some people. And that is awful.

[Rae1889]

I agree, I hope she doesnt actually have a seizure, and look like a strange fool.

I completely am against this act. She is doing this for ART!?!?!?!?! That's horrible!

I would even be skeptical if she did it in the name of science and education. She could do that in a confined, controlled area, with doctors present and video tape it, and put it up on youtube. There it will be view by hundreds of thousands who can really use it efficently

[vapour]

this is out-rageous. You would be suprised at what people do in the name of art. I was a music major and saw other people studying art do all sorts of weird things.. such as ... not eating for 3 days and drinking only urine plus one bipolar student coming off meds during that time and another who is not bipolar taking htem instead... while recording it.

Nothing about this is art. I could easily do something just as stupid..under the "name of art"

I am also interested as to who is going to go and watch this....whoever does is just as sick as she is for supporting it.

[knothing]

Back in the mid 80's an artist, Robert Mapplethorpe, had an exhibit he put in Cincinnati,Oh which had pictures of children that were very tasteless. The director of the Art Museum was charged with pandering obscenity and he won the court battle. The exhibit went on. I bring this up to point out that 'artists' such as Mapplethorpe and Marcalo enjoy pushing the limits of society. But in the end when you push it is not always because of 'artistic vision' but more a cry for attention or trying to make money.

More than likely she has a trigger and will save it till near the end. She will also plan where to be on stage when the triggering takes place. Either that or she is not a very smart person to begin with. Not the best way to get 15 minutes of fame.

As far as the people watching, to actually go and wait for this is disturbing. When I had my first grand mal as an adult I had never seen one and wanted to know what it looked like. I had not clue what happened. I went on youtube and there were a few to choose from. I just had to watch to understand what it feels like for those around me. I only watched it once but that was enough. To this day I feel bad about watching it but I had to know. It did help in one way, when my wife saw the 2nd grand mal I knew what she saw and could help her though seeing it.

Epilepsy as Art = Stupid

[Chris515]

I just told my co worker about this - he knows my condition.

Turns out he supports it and thinks I'm taking it too personally.

Apparently it will "promote awareness and will not produce anything negative". He said it was her choice. Which is true.

But if you have a condition, and are doing something that upsets everyone else with your condition, how are you doing any good??

Unbelievable. I am so mad I am shaking. I need to get some air. Knowing that he would go and watch this if possible makes me see him in a different light. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Bernard]

Folks with a morbid sense of curiosity could find a "show" for free on YouTube.

As a publicity stunt to raise awareness and get people talking, I don't see how you can argue that it isn't effective.

I hope things work out well for Rita.

[BuckeyeFan]

IMO this is taking us back 100 years to being a side show at the circus. Yes, she is free to do as she wishes and yes people are free to pay her for it, however that does not make it 'art'. Reference the Mapplethorpe exhibit from above. That was not 'art'. The same pictures on a computer would get others locked up.

Yes she is free to do it. That doesn't make it right or art. I wonder if this is being funded by the NEA.

[Rae1889]

This Does Boogle My Mind Immensly! This Just Doesnt seem like a smart thing to do! I find it horrible that she is using this to make a spectacle of us. Everyone's Seizures look different. and not everyone reponds to the same triggers. This is incredibly stupid on her part. If she wanted to do something like this, like I said earlier, she should have done this at a lab.

I will admit that I went on Youtube to see if I could find something that resembled my episodes, *i actually came across the video joan's daughter did, and took that one to my doctor* and some of them are really graphic. and most of them are jokes and fakes and very offensive.

I dont see how this is any difference. People already group people with epilepsy in the same catagory and apply stigmas to the whole lot of us, instead of just the one person. I think by her doing this, it is embarrasing/demoralizing/belittling all of us!

[occb]

I'm always torn about art like this. On the one hand, extreme concepts are a very effective method to make people aware of an issue, on the other it could turn out to be shocking/exploitative as opposed to educational.

If she's disseminating useful and important information through her "performance" this could be of great value, but if her act stands alone without context, it's not much more than a disability freakshow.

[Ruth]

Is she suicidal? That would be a good way to kill oneself.

It makes me think of the gladiators and the coleseum about 2000 years ago. The people in the colessecum were crying for blood.

It might not work in this case. If she quits taking her medicine the day before the show, the medicine stays in your system for a while. She might not have a seizure. Is she going to fake a seizure?

She is playing Russian Roulette with her life. People who want to go see it are sick.

[knothing]

I found more on this.

She says she wants to raise awareness of epilepsy as “an invisible disability” and will use next month’s adults-only performance at Bradford Playhouse, in West Yorkshire, to explore “my ‘other’ identity as a disabled person”.
Dr Sallie Baxendale, a neuropsychologist at the National Society for Epilepsy, questioned whether it was appropriate for seizures to be viewed for entertainment.

“The upside is that it gets people talking about epilepsy, but the downside is that it’s being presented as a freaky type of entertainment as opposed to teaching people about seizures,” she said.

“The danger of coming off medication is that sometimes when you go back to the same level as before your seizures aren’t controlled any more and you lose control. You play about with your medication at your peril.”

The chief executive of Epilepsy Action, Philip Lee, said he was sure that many of his organisation’s members would consider the performance inappropriate.

“We recognise that everyone is free to make choices about their own health, but we are very concerned that a person with epilepsy would stop taking their medication voluntarily in order to reduce a seizure,” he said.

Earlier this week, a New York dustbin lorry driver who suffered an epileptic fit at the wheel and crashed into a British couple, killing them instantly, was convicted of second degree murder and jailed for at least 20 years.

A jury found that he had acted with “depraved indifference to human life” when he stopped taking drugs to control his epilepsy.

Ms Marcalo, who trained with the Lisbon Dance Company and has been in the UK in 2002, was awarded a £13,889 grant last year by Arts Council England to research and tour her epilepsy show.

The council defended its decision yesterday, describing Ms Marcalo as “an important artist whose work deserves to be seen”.

She is taking this on tour!!!!

[epileric]

I agree that if done in a proper context it can raise awareness but it does sound more like freaky entertainment the way she's presenting it.

I've got to say that I find it bothersome that it's being taken on tour.

I'd wonder if she monitors the health of her seizures afterwards & if so, would she publicize what was monitored? That'd be more likely to raise awareness than the freak show itself.

[Rae1889]

So she is planning on doing this more than once?!?!?!? I think she is a few marbles short! She is inconsiderate, an embarrasment to those who are epileptic and their supporters, She is stupid, irrational, irresponsible and a host of other adjectives I cannot use! I am now waiting for Nakamova and Meetz to see this thread. Their responses should be entertaining.

Her disabled side?!?! I dont consider myself disabled, but now that word and identity is going to stick with people, and they will use it to describe all of those with epilepsy. This will not be looked at in a positive light. ARGH!!!!!

I AM SO MAD AT THIS WOMAN I COULD MAKE THE TRIP TO SEE THE SHOW AND SAY SOME VERY NASTY THINGS TO HER! ARGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!!!!!

SO mad, I'm breathing heavy and flushed. Her telling people this can probably trigger a stress fit for some people. BAH!

[Aubrey]

She can tell herself and anybody else who feels like they need some kind of justification to see this. But nice try. If she has epilepsy then she knows that deliberately setting yourself up in this way could aggravate your condition indefinitely. She isn't going to be some kind of martyr to further the cause of epilepsy. She's just exploiting herself and the condition. And everyone going to see this is just a voyeur. There is nothing educational or ennobling about the human experience there. It is not art. Along with some of you on here - I hope she is completely unsuccessful - I too wish her the best.

[Rae1889]

She sounds like a masocist to me. Voluntarily putting your body through that pain and suffering. It sounds almost like she enjoys having seizures, like its some sort of high. especially since she is more than willing to do it over and over!

This woman sickens me. I dont see any valid reason for making this a public display/mockery. This is not entertainment, this is personal torture. And isnt there a law against allowing someone to purposly abuse themselves?

[Cint]

Yes, she does sound like a masochist who loves the attention. She is Mentally ill!

Wow, I wish I would have charged all the folks who stood around me and panicked when I regained consciousness after a bad seizure many times in public! I certainly didn't enjoy being stared at or the burns, black eyes, bruises, and ambulance rides to the hospital after the seizures.

[Ruth]

She's just exploiting herself and the condition..

You got it right!! She is exploiting herself to make money on the shows and maybe is trying to start a reality show.

Remember that family that faked a son inside of a helicopter or something. They were trying to start their own Reality Show. It did not work, both parents are up on charges. They caused the Denver Airport to be closed down. The boy was home in the garage the whole time. they faked the whole thing.