Arts Film Production Diary: Inspiring Moments Filming Susan Aldworth’s Installation for Illuminating The Self (Screengrab)
April 15, 2020
This entry in my Arts Film Production Diary captures the process of filming Susan Aldworth during the setup of her installation at Vane Gallery in Newcastle.
The exhibition, Illuminating The Self, brings together art and neuroscience, and this artist profile video is part of a broader project documenting how artists respond to cutting-edge medical research.
The gallery is still. Boxes are being unpacked, ladders positioned, and artwork carefully unwrapped. As I film for this artist profile video, Susan is placing works from her Out of the Blue series—cyanotype prints created using UV light. These works echo the scientific use of light in optogenetic therapy for epilepsy, the focus of the CANDO research project at Newcastle University that inspired Illuminating The Self.
This arts film production diary moment is about more than logistics—it’s about capturing the intention and meaning behind the positioning of each work. Susan’s process is deliberate, calm, and highly attuned to the ideas behind the research. The cyanotypes visualise patterns of brain synchronisation, reflecting both clinical insight and artistic intuition.
As part of this artist profile video, I’m also filming her monotypes from The Portrait Anatomised—large, expressive works combining EEG imagery and human portraiture. These pieces raise questions about how we understand the self through brain activity and medical scans. It’s a theme that runs through all of Susan’s work and defines the tone of this arts film production diary.
In the adjoining room, Andrew Carnie’s kinetic sculptures and light-based installations are also being installed, but today my focus remains on Susan. Filming at this stage of the exhibition offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the thinking behind the final presentation. The camera captures not just the visual setup but the atmosphere, the pacing, and the quiet focus that defines these moments.
This arts film production diary entry is part of a longer-term effort to document artists at work in research-led contexts. The footage will form the basis of an artist profile video that shares Susan Aldworth’s approach to making deeply thoughtful, research-inspired art.
About Susan Aldworth (2020)
Susan Aldworth is a British artist whose practice sits at the intersection of art, science, and philosophy. Her ongoing fascination with the brain, identity, and consciousness has made her a leading figure in research-inspired visual art. Her involvement in Illuminating The Self is a continuation of that trajectory—bringing artistic interpretation to neurological subjects, in collaboration with scientists.
Aldworth’s work has been shown at venues including the V&A, The National Portrait Gallery, and The Fitzwilliam Museum. Her previous exhibitions, such as Reassembling the Self and The Portrait Anatomised, reflect a consistent engagement with personal and medical narratives. Through cyanotype, monotype, and moving image, she examines the layered relationship between mind and body.
In this arts film production diary, I’m documenting the early stages of her installation—capturing not just the artwork but the emotional and intellectual energy that surrounds it. This process will feed directly into an artist profile video that celebrates the depth and subtlety of her work.
About Andrew Carnie (2020)
Andrew Carnie’s installations at Illuminating The Self add a dynamic, temporal layer to the exhibition. His work uses light, motion, and layered text to evoke the experience of epilepsy and its treatment. Through pieces like A Tale of Twoand Storm to Calm: Rockall, Carnie interprets the emotional and technological dimensions of neural implants—transforming clinical ideas into flickering, poetic sculptures.
His background in both art and science enables a rare fusion of conceptual clarity and aesthetic richness. As I continue this arts film production diary series, Carnie’s work offers an intriguing contrast to Aldworth’s, highlighting the variety of approaches within the exhibition.
You can explore more of my artist profile films here: