Weaving the Neurodivergent Brain-Body Together
Neurodivergent people have long been on the periphery of research that directly relates to their experiences and communities. This event recentres neurodivergent people in this process, drawing on socially engaged and performance art, storytelling and sensory exploration.
This event builds on Beth Sutton’s (she/they) week-long artist residency at Fabrica in November 2025, focusing more closely on the installation created during the residency, involving a core group of NHS service users.
Beth will breathe new life into the installation by exhibiting the artwork to a new audience and by expanding on it and her research in new terms, undertaking a similar event at the Towner gallery in Eastbourne later the same week.
Beth is an artist (website incoming) and anthropologist, specialising in neurodivergence and neurodevelopmental conditions, concluding their PhD research at the University of Sussex. They are an interdisciplinary researcher, treading new and exciting ground where art and anthropology collide. Beth also works in the NHS, amplifying the perspectives of neurodivergent people in conversations directly relating to patient care, with an emphasis on neuroinclusion. You can find out more about Beth’s professional practice here.
The event presents an opportunity for anthropologists, researchers, artists and healthcare professionals to learn more about how neurodivergence is experienced from a lived, neurominority perspective. It is relevant to anyone curious about neurodivergence, including people who identify as neurodivergent or think they might be. You’ll be encouraged to think differently about neurodivergence and how it can be expressed.
The event broadens who can access ‘academic’ ideas, such as research-informed and evidence-based knowledge. Put simply, there will be something to take away for everyone.
Attendees will be invited to give feedback, informing a Q+A. This event will be British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted, and there will be a comfort break before the Q+A to allow for a meaningful break.