Liverpool, United Kingdom (24-September-13): Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and FACT are looking for volunteers to take part in a groundbreaking project which will impact on the future development of craniofacial surgery. The Headspace project, created by Alder Hey in conjunction with FACT and associated artists will develop a comprehensive database of human head shapes using state of the art 3D photography.
A specially designed camera, constructed in the window of FACT on Wood Street in Liverpool City Centre, will be aiming to capture over 1,000 3D photographs of heads to form the largest research database of its kind in the world and the first in the UK. The photographs will be taken with the latest 3D surface imaging technology from 3dMD and will be used to study head sizes and shapes to develop life enhancing surgery.
Headspace will be open to the public from Thursday 26th September to Sunday 1st December with volunteers able to drop in between 12pm and 6pm (7pm on a Wednesday) to have their 3D picture taken for the project. There will be a special late night opening on the 26th September and Thursday 3rd October until 8pm.
Christian Duncan, Craniofacial Surgeon at Alder Hey and the project lead explains: “This is a pioneering project combining arts, science and health to make a real difference on how surgery is developed in the future. The benefits of this research are huge; from helping to design surgical operations to enhancing our ability to comparing the outcomes of surgery. There are potential wider benefits too, for example in forensics and police work. We hope as many people as possible can find some time to pop in, have a quick picture taken and be part of this revolutionary work.”
A programme of events celebrating neurosciences will run alongside the project, including interactive talks and seminar talks by medical professionals. More information and a calendar of events can be found at www.theheadspaceproject.co.uk
The project forms part of the related programme for a solo exhibition of works by artist and filmmaker Mark Boulos which will be on display at FACT between 3 October to 21 November. This exhibition includes the premiere of large-scale video installation Echo which combines neuro-scientific research and innovative camera techniques to create a three-dimensional effect visible to the naked eye. For more information visit http://www.fact.co.uk/projects/mark-boulos/
Headspace is the latest collaborative project between Alder Hey and FACT. FACT is a cultural champion of Alder Hey’s dedicated arts programme which is at the forefront of pioneering innovative approaches to using arts in paediatric healthcare. Their most successful collaboration to date has been artist Chris Watson’s Wildsong at Dawn installation in the hospital which reduces stress using the therapeutic sounds of the dawn chorus. This installation is set to retain its legacy when it moves to Alder Hey’s new hospital in 2015.
Editor’s Notes
For more information about Alder Hey please contact: Rebecca Poole, Media Relations Specialist on 0151 293 3502.
For more information about FACT please contact: Jen Chapman, Marketing & Communications Manager on 0151 707 4415 or jen.chapman@fact.co.uk
Headspace Opening Times
Mon- Closed
Tuesday- 12.00pm-6.00pm
Wed- 12.00pm-7.00pm
Thurs- 12.00pm-6.00pm
Fri- 12.00pm-6.00pm
Sat- 11.00am -6.00pm
Sun- 12.00pm-6.00pm
Opening day- Thursday 26th September 12.00pm-8.00pm
AND festival opening- Thursday 3rd October 12.00pm-8.00pm
Video Argo Sum screening- Friday 4th October 11.00am-6.00pm
About Alder Hey
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust provides care for over 275,000 children and young people every year. The Trust employs around 2800 staff while providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing/allied health professional students each year. Alder Hey is a top performing trust and is registered with the Care Quality Commission without conditions.
Alder Hey delivers clinical excellence for all children, for routine illnesses as well as very complex and rare conditions. One of four stand alone children’s hospitals in the UK, it is a national centre for neuro and craniofacial surgery, a regional centre for burns injuries and a Centre of Excellence for children with cancer, heart, spinal and brain disease. The Trust is one of only four epilepsy surgical centres in the UK and one of only two accredited major trauma centres in the North West. Alder Hey is also a respiratory Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) surge centre and is in all options put forward to be a national centre for cardiac surgery under the ‘Safe and Sustainable’ review. It became the first UK Centre of Excellence for Childhood Lupus in 2010.
Alder Hey is the first accredited Investing in Children hospital in the UK. It has a dedicated patient experience programme which includes the award winning Alder Hey Arts involving music therapy, dance programmes, storytelling and animation projects. It is also one of a few hospitals to have a Children and Young Person’s Forum.
As Alder Hey moves towards its centenary year in 2014, a new hospital is set to open in 2015. Alder Hey in the Park will be a purpose-built, unique and world class healing environment for children and young people.
Alder Hey is supported by The Alder Hey Children’s Charity which was launched in 2012. The Alder Hey Children’s Charity will soon be embarking on a major Appeal to support the building of the new hospital.
For more information visit www.alderhey.nhs.uk and www.alderheycharity.com
About FACT
FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) is the UK’s leading media arts centre, based in Liverpool and is focused on bringing people, art and technology together. FACT’s award-winning building houses three galleries, a café, bar and four cinema screens. Since the organisation was founded in 1988 (previously called Moviola), it has commissioned and presented over 250 new media and digital artworks from artists including Pipilotti Rist, Nam June Paik, Bill Viola, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Isaac Julien.
FACT has been working closely with the health sector for the past seven years, leading the way in digital art creating enhanced health and wellbeing by developing innovative collaborations between a range of NHS partners and artists. Since 2006 we have produced a series of commissions and projects in partnership with artists, health organisations, the private sector, Liverpool City Council and Merseyside NHS, the Healthy Spaces programme reflects the Five Ways to Wellbeing and investigating how the digital world support our health and wellbeing.
FACT believes artists can play an intrinsic role in the creation of healthy spaces using digital arts and new media. The organisation delivers this work through commissions for waiting rooms, in-hospital commissions, participatory projects and online resources.
For more information about FACT’s Healthy Spaces programme, visit http://www.fact.co.uk/get-involved/healthy-spaces/
About 3dMD
With a proven customer track record in leading teaching institutions, research institutes, hospitals, and government agencies worldwide, 3dMD manufactures and markets non-invasive, high-precision 3D surface imaging systems and sophisticated 3D analysis software with an inter-disciplinary patient treatment approach. 3dMD’s ultra-fast technique for capturing living, breathing human subjects delivers the degree of anatomical precision required for medical, dental, biometrics, ergonomic, human factor, and research application.
For more information visit www.3dMD.com.

No related posts.