The Science
Following treatment for breast cancer and to monitor tolerance to a proposed drug, the artist required an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check their heart's rhythm and electrical activity. Collison was charged with taking the results straight to their General Practitioner. However, as the artist had just been awarded a poetry and drawing residency, the results took a detour to the studio, where they became the focus of this artwork. Collison says, “The print-out of my ECG seemed like a gift to improvise on this theme. It also felt like a small act of rebellion, reclaiming control of my identity as an artist after a long period as a patient.”
The title of the piece is in part taken from the Grace Jones' 1985 song of the same name (“Slave to the Rhythm”) which describes the feeling Collison had as a patient. "The inclusion of 'BADA BING BADA BOOM'", Collison says, "both emphasises the rhythmic, heartbeat-like quality, and augurs this patient's imminent insurrection."
The image presented is a form of documentation which shows the transposing of the rhythm over the medical document. Collison then made this audible with a music box. Collison explains, “The ECG was my sheet music. I then transposed the score for a musical box, which can be played. My heart is apparently in C Minor.”
The Artist
Claire Collison is a writer and artist, and currently designs engagement resources for the Government Art Collection. Claire won the inaugural Women Poets' Prize, 2018, and has been placed second in Resurgence, Hippocrates and Winchester Prizes. Her poetry is widely published in magazines and anthologies, including Second Place Rosette: Poems about Britain (Emma Press), The Valley Press Anthology of Prose Poetry, We've Done Nothing Wrong, We've Nothing To Hide (Verve); Field Notes on Survival (Bad Betty Press), Perverse, Corrupted Poets, Butcher’s Dog, Finished Creatures, and The Rialto. You can connect with Claire on her website: www.clairecollison.com, via Twitter @clairecollison1 and on Instagram @adalodge.
Copyright statement. This work is published under the CC BY-NC-SA license