Shona Illingworth's immersive sound and video installation explores the conflict between trauma memory and the need for a coherent 'life story' through the experience of an 80-year-old watchmaker, who as a 19-year-old experienced one of the most deeply affecting and shocking events of World War II.

The work has been made in collaboration with University of Leeds neuropsychologist Professor Martin A Conway. Professor Conway is an internationally recognised expert on trauma memory, confabulation and the role of memory in the formation of a sense of self. He spoke at Wellcome Collection's 'Remembering War' symposium on 31 January 2009, when he and his colleague Dr Catriona Morrisson reported back on the memories of war that were collected from people online in order to understand more about how society remembers conflict. You can read the submitted memories of war and see the slideshow from the presentation.

Shona Illingworth
Shona Illingworth is known for her powerful and evocative video and sound installations, which explore the experience of memory and the formation of identity in situations of social tension. She has shown her work extensively in Europe, Canada and the UK. She has received a number of high-profile awards including commissions for Channel 4 television, the Hayward Gallery, London and the Wellcome Trust. She lives and works in London.

Professor Martin Conway
Professor Martin Conway is a neuropsychologist and one of the foremost international experts in the field of autobiographical memory. His work explores the centrality of memory to our sense of self. He currently holds a prestigious Economic and Social Research Council Professorial Fellowship at the University of Leeds, where he has established the new Memory Research Group. He has written extensively on autobiographical memory.