The objects of suffering

If you don’t suffer from Parkinson’s, it’s almost impossible to imagine what it must be like. With this in mind, the German university hospital CHARITE, the agency Innocean in Berlin and the production company Mediamonks took an approach that made the effects of the disease material. They asked six sufferers to name objects that they now find almost impossible to use, from toys to a simple pen. The sufferers’ neurological data was used to power a 3D printer, which reproduced the objects. But as printed by Parkinson’s, the objects were twisted and distorted. They were put on show for a week to mark World Brain Day on July 22, while the resulting online film spread the message across the globe: for now there is no cure, but research must go on.