Life-limiting pain inspired artist to create uplifting film

“The first time I heard people singing my song, I cried,” says Katherine Fay Allan, a 28-year-old artist.

“Because I felt heard. All I had before that was my pain,” Katherine reveals, as she prepares for the premier of an uplifting film inspired by her personal experiences of chronic pain and gastrointestinal symptoms.

A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone Collage of Art & Design (DJCAD), part of the University of Dundee, Katherine identifies as a disabled artist.

But it was only two years ago – mid-way through the creation of this project – when she received a medical diagnosis for her condition, despite having lived with life-limiting pain for around four years. 

Katherine’s film, Gastromancy, which she wrote and then worked alongside nine other creatives to produce, will be shown publicly for the first time during the University’s Festival of the Future.

She hopes not only to increase awareness of her rare condition, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which affects connective tissue and causes tearing inside the body, but also for visitors to think about their own gut health.

Katherine said, “I started to feel incredibly unwell. It started with a pain in my gut but spread throughout my body. I couldn’t keep food down.

“I became fatigued, to the point I’d have to sleep for hours after doing something like taking the dog out for a walk.

“I went for test after test but nothing was coming back. It’s a weird feeling being disappointed when a test comes back negative but I just wanted to know what was wrong.”

Despite repeated dislocated joints, skin tearing and bruising, Katherine continued to struggle to receive a diagnosis.

“It got to the point where I started to question if everyone was in this amount of pain all the time,” she said.

Science research informed artist's concept

As a coping mechanism, Katherine explored the science behind gut health, carrying out her own research chatting with scientists at the University’s School of Life Sciences (SLS). 

This gave her the idea for a conceptual film in which the gut is depicted through a character narrative, including song and dance. 

While creating the film, Katherine received her diagnosis and went on to incorporate aspects of her condition into the film. For example, the use of velvet, as patients with EDS are often described as having velvet-like skin.

“Working on this project was quite an uplifting process,” said Katherine, from Edinburgh.

“Hearing people singing a piece of music which I made in collaboration with my partner – I’ve been talking about pain for years and to finally feel heard was quite emotional.

“For so long all I had was my symptoms, but this project has allowed me to open up conversations, and to tell my story and the story of others.”

Gastromancy is a collaboration between Festival of the Future, DJCAD and the School of Life Sciences, and is funded by Creative Scotland.

It premiers at 6pm on 9 October at LifeSpace Gallery, within the School of Life Sciences, at the University of Dundee. Booking is required via Eventbrite or by emailing [email protected].

Festival of the Future hosts events and activities along the theme of connections, in venues across Dundee, from 9-13 October. 

Katherine will also run a family workshop, Tummy Rumbles, in which gut health is explored through parachute games, and a Supper Club, both on 13 October.

Emma Preston, the University’s Cultural Projects Manager, said, “We are delighted to be working with Katherine and to be featuring Gastromancy as part of Festival of the Future.”

A full programme of events can be found on the Festival of the Future webpage.