Bloodlines Premiere

Diagnosed with Leukaemia, John was given hours to live – but survived thanks to a bone marrow donation. How can ethically sourced stem cells save lives? Experience an immersive and exploratory performance created by a survivor and his donor.

John’s disease, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, is ’a deadly disease for which the best available therapy is only applicable to a fraction of patients and is itself potentially lethal’ (Dr Adele K. Fielding, Haematologist UCL). That therapy – a transplant of blood stem cells – is both potentially lethal and life saving. It is also miraculous, mysterious and slightly macabre.

Bloodlines conveys the science and the experience of this last chance treatment in a performance featuring a haematologist, a musical score created from blood cell counts, kaleidoscopic visual effects and dance. The performance will be followed by a discussion in the Dana Cafe with the makers: learn more about stem cells and becoming a donor and about this collaboration between artists and medical scientists.

Bloodlines Team:

Alex Mermikides: stem cell donor and direction, Milton Mermikides: leukaemia survivor and music, Ann Van de Velde: haematologist and performer, Anna Tanczos: videoscape, Adam Kirkham: dance, Bex Law: dramaturgy

This is the premiere of the Bloodlines project, organised by the Chimera Network: Science through Art funded by the AHRC.