Spanish Flu After Hours

A performance of the piece Contagion choreographed by Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company commemorates the deadliest pandemic in human history Spanish flu, to stimulate thought, reaction and sensation through the medium of movement.

Contagion, performed by eight female dancers, was co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary and is inspired by the nature and spread of Spanish flu.

The work of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele, who fell victim to the Spanish flu, forms a visual footnote to the piece and the dancers will contort and mutate as they explore both the resilience and the vulnerability of the human body.

The Florence Nightingale Museum will showcase a short extract from their full-length performance throughout the evening, alongside an introduction to the Spanish Flu exhibition by curator Holly Carter-Chappell. Visitors are then welcome to explore the museum exhibition which is inspired by the mass mobilisation of tents to cope with the huge numbers of flu cases around the world.
There are also several unique exhibits on display, including a rare vial of influenza vaccine created by the Royal Army Medical College in 1919, using Spanish flu-infected lung scrapings.

Please note that the museum recommends that this late night performance is suitable for the ages of 12+