Oxford Health BRC are proud to collaborate with What We Carry, a creative storytelling initiative that brings lived experience to the heart of our Pain Theme.
What We Carry is a collaborative art-science project led by artist Marysa Dowling , OH BRC, the University of Oxford and the Chronic Pain Neurotechnology Network+. It uses photography and creative expression to make the invisible experience of chronic pain visible. By helping people articulate what is often misunderstood or difficult to verbalise, the project offers a powerful platform for exploring the emotional and social dimensions of living with pain.
Chronic pain affects one in five adults globally. It’s complex, often invisible, and deeply personal. Our Pain Theme is tackling this challenge head-on, with pioneering work across sleep interventions, opioid tapering, digital therapeutics, and neurotechnologies. To truly understand pain, we must listen to those who live with it.
What We Carry offers a platform for those voices. Through poetry, photography, and personal narrative, it captures the emotional and social dimensions of pain, what it means to carry it, and how it shapes identity, relationships, and resilience. These stories complement our research, helping to make it more human, more inclusive, and more impactful.
OH BRC Pain Co-Theme Lead Prof Ben Seymour told us: ““We’ve embarked on an ambitious process, working with patients and artist Marysa Dowling to explore the experience of pain through art. It’s not just about talking to people; it’s about understanding what it’s truly like to live with pain. What We Carry helps us do that in a way that’s deeper, more human, and more resonant than traditional approaches.”
The What We Carry: Living with Pain in person exhibition will start on 25 October until 6 December at The Corridor Gallery , situated on the Level 2 main entrance corridor of the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford. There will be an artists talk as part of the exhibition on 7 November. All information can be found online.
For more information: Whatwecarry online and/or our Pain Theme web page Oxford Health BRC Pain Theme.
