Saturday, 23rd March, 7pm
With: Will Self (Writer); Hugo Spiers (Neuroscience, University College London); Sebastian Groes (English Literature, University of Roehampton)
The three-year memorisation of London’s streets undertaken by black cab drivers, ‘The Knowledge’, has an extraordinary effect on the brain’s ability to navigate. Research into this phenomenon informs Will Self’s novel The Book of Dave. The Memory Network invited Self to participate in new research, which included the neuroimaging of his brain. At this Memory Network event, Self talks about his experience and neuroscientist Hugo Spiers talks about the role London plays in his work. Together with Sebastian Groes they discuss the relationship between neuroscience and literature, and the effects of new technologies on our memory.
This event is free, but requires a reservation. To sign up, please write to memorynetwork@roehampton.ac.uk with the subject line ‘Ways of London’.