Art and The End of Life was a thoughtful symposium held by Sparkle And Dark, creators of Killing Roger – a puppetry show dealing with the issue of assisted suicide – to examine the questions raised by their work and other artists.

Some interesting ideas were presented, particularly from Timandra Harkness, who combines comedy and science, and Sian Aggatt, who described her work with the Wellcome Trust.

The symposium covered a range of topics – disease, poverty, assisted suicide and survival to name a few – and this wide scope lead to a lack of focus.

The topic obviously attracts individuals who are keen to share their experiences, which led to a more general personal storytelling session. While honest and heartfelt, this potentially needed to belong in a more therapeutic environment.

The panel reinforced this sharing culture by responding to most questions with anecdotes of strong audience reactions and personal journeys rather than debating artistic questions.

Sparkle And Dark need a clearer aim for future sessions and to consider the space – if they want to encourage personal stories then consider a more intimate venue than the Warren’s main space, with the audience sat higher than the panel, brightly lit and impersonal.