‘Thalidomide @50’, commissioned by Jeff Spinks and Nick Dobrik, commemorates the impending 50th anniversary of the launch of the drug Thalidomide. The project has been an incredible journey for me, listening and learning about the lives of Thalidomide survivors, their obstacles and struggles faced from birth, and its devastating effect on their lives and that of their families. I have also had the opportunity to meet some amazing people who have become lifelong friends.
The Thalidomide Story is unique and has been inspirational on a universal level. It is remarkable what these survivors have accomplished despite the continuous challenges placed in their paths.
The inspiration behind Thalidomide @ 50
We are part of a unique and finite group of people: in fifty years’ time few if any of us will remain. We are the result of an enormous and catastrophic medical experiment. We are testament to the triumph of human greed over respect for human rights.
A century from now, thalidomide will be a footnote in medical and social histories. A few grainy photographs of helpless-looking, deformed infants and some archive film.
This is an inadequate way to mark the passing of such an outstanding collection of people – the Thalidomide Generation.
People are often surprised that there are fewer than five hundred of us left in the UK. The issue has always ‘punched above its weight’ in the popular consciousness. Perhaps that is because so many of us have achieved so much: we are doctors, lawyers, opera singers, journalists, financiers, writers, performers. At home we are parents, grandparents, spouses, lovers and siblings.
My friend, Nick Dobrik, and I wanted to create a permanent memorial that would remind people of our suffering and battles but also of our achievements, our conviction and our beauty. Who better to convey this than our close friend, Kate Rennie? Not only does she have the gift of being able to project an almost ‘super-photographic reality’ with her keen eye and deft hand: she also possesses a deep empathy with her subjects – taking the time to get to know them, making them laugh and sharing their sorrow.
The story of thalidomide is not just that of the living: while around ten thousand of us are still here on planet Earth, an estimated ninety thousand didn’t survive pregnancy, birth or the delivery suite. Who knows how many ‘kindly’ midwives or doctors – on seeing a thalidomide new-born – simply left nature to take its course or even helped it on its way?
Kate was deeply touched by those who didn’t make it. The centrepiece of Thalidomide @ 50 is dedicated to our thalidomide brothers and sisters who were not as fortunate as us.
We hope that this exhibition stirs more than a little emotion in you. Whether it be joy, anger, despair, admiration or euphoria – this is a subject that rarely fails to move people.
Geoff Adams-Spink
Nick Dobrik