London student's art installation powerfully demonstrates what it's like to live with a stammer

People are often misinformed about stammering. Now a university student has created three audio-visual installations to show what the physical and psychological traits of living with a stammer are.

Rory Sheridan is a photography student at the London College of Communication (LCC) and also someone with a stammer.

The 21-year-old aims to address how artistic practices might be linked to the increased perception and understanding of what a stammer is.

His project – The Open Mouth That Offers Up Nothing – consists of a 54 seconds text animation and two eight minutes video illustrations of brain activity and physical mouth tensions of those with a stammer.

“Stammering is an under-represented speech difficulty which affects quality of life,” Rory said.

“Day to day people who stammer go about their lives encountering ignorance, rudeness and negativity which has a detrimental effect on their confidence and self-esteem."

However, following his multiple therapy session at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, Rory realised that “stammering also provides positive qualities including patience and empathy.”

He added: “The project is an unsettling installation which attempts to visualise and simulate what it’s like to be a person who stammers, both on the surface and beneath.”

The Open Mouth That Offers Up Nothing

Artistic illustration

"The text animation shows the words and phrases given to the artist when being interviewed about their stammering, including emotions, thoughts and feelings under the surface.

"The piece is an honest portrayal of traits a person who stammers exhibits, all accurately respectively portrayed after carrying out interviews with various people."

Physical illustration

"The piece shows physical tensions and struggle within the face particularly the mouth during moments of stammering, particularly blocks, fillers and other strategies and movements that those who stammer use to cope with everyday challenges to speak.

"They also show fluent moments and the exhaustion that this places on a stammering person."

Scientific illustration

"Stammering is often seen as just a ‘condition’ which physically affects people, but this piece shows increased brain activity during blocks - where words do not come out - as the brain shutting off and then reactivating during these moments.

"The brain images provide a calming feeling to the installation, moving effortlessly."

The project was funded by the Hegarty Foundation Bursary. A funding programme that supports students as part of London’s University of Arts widening participation outreach.

Credit to Rory Sheridan, BA (Hons) Photography student at London College of Communication in Elephant & Castle.