Building the Man-Machine: Art, Medicine and the Human Form in the Aftermath of the First World War

Room: CRV012

Chantal Bradburn, Outreach and Widening Participation Manager, University of Chester

This talk will explore the impact of wartime injury on attitudes towards the body between 1914–1933. Through a series of art works and historic documents, we will consider the relationship between medicine, art and the body at a time of great social change.

The First World War brought new kinds of trauma for the body and mind, and despite the rapid advancement of medicine, veterans were often left permanently changed by their experiences. Young artists, many of whom had fought in conflict, responded to these changes in innovative ways, creating a new kind of art for a new era, much of which focused on the human form, its vulnerability, and capacity for adaptation.

All are welcome to attend the in-person talks free of charge. Booking is encouraged for refreshment and seating purposes, and in case there are any last-minute changes (contact details below). Please check the event listings for updates to the programme (scroll down to see the individual events). Access to the Riverside Museum and event venues is via a flight of steps and lift/step access thereafter. For those with limited mobility, there is an accessible route, and please pre-book to arrange this access.fhsc.histsoc@chester.ac.uk or 01244 512126 

By looking at the work of both British and German artists in post-war London and Berlin, we can gain insight into a time of rapid change, where Edwardian ideas about the body were transformed by the trauma of the war, resulting in a period filled with medical innovation, the rise of psychiatry, mass media, cinema, photography, jazz and Modernist art.

See Museum dates and associated programme throughout 2026-27.