About
The reseach
The 5-year study focuses on the subjective, sensory experiences of people with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). In the aftermath, people’s senses are transformed, so that sights, sounds, smells, balance, and a host of other senses about which they were previously unaware, can make themselves felt in new and destabilizing ways. What is entailed actually to experience these changes is poorly understood by medical practitioners, social scientists, and the general public. The study therefore aims to promote greater understanding of the subjective significance of TBI-provoked sensory alterations.
In addition to in-depth interviews, arts-based methods are a fundamental research component. Online film capsules, combining mindfulness and artistic expression, help research participants to express their sensory experiences via, for example, photography, drawing, painting, collage, video &/or audio recordings. The choice is theirs. These bring to life the significance of their sensory transformations in ways that written words cannot always convey. They also provide a voice for people with TBIs that both affirms and reinforces the validity of their lived experiences. Please visit the online gallery to view these artworks.
The Research Team
Nicole Gombay
Nicole Gombay is a geographer at the Université de Montréal. She is interested in understanding the ways that humans perceive, construct, and experience worlds through their senses.
Éric Joly
Éric Joly is a Ph.D. candidate in Geography at the Université the Montréal. His main research focus is on how emotions and sensations play a role in scientific work.
Gavin J. Andrews
Gavin J. Andrews (Department of Health, Aging and Society, McMaster University) has extensive experience in health geography, with a particular interest in qualitative methods.
Caroline Arbour
Caroline Arbour (Faculty of Nursing, Université de Montréal; Regular researcher, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur-de-Montréal) is trained in nursing and the neurosciences.
Cheryl Green
Cheryl Green, MFA, MS, is a captioner, audio describer, podcaster, and a Member at New Day Films. Her documentary film, Who Am I To Stop It chronicles the experiences of three artists with TBIs.
Katrin Heimann
Katrin Heimann (School of Culture and Society, Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University as well as Max Planck Institute of Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt) is trained in philosophy and cognitive neuroscience.
Helene Nymann
Helene Nymann (Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University) is a visual artist who uses embodied knowledge as a central focus of her work.
The Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA)
The Ontario Brain Injury Association (OBIA) is playing an advisory role in this work. Representing the experiences of people with Acquired Brain Injuries.
Contact
If you have any questions or wish to share your thoughts about the exhibit or the study, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.