Emaciated self-portraits, an electro-therapeutic cage, photo journals of extreme conditions like gigantism: welcome to the Wellcome Collection’s exploration of the relationship between mental illness and the arts.

During a recent visit, a group of middle-aged women meandering through the exhibit broke into a fairly loud debate at one point, and minutes later were chuckling about some of the out-of-date contraptions used to treat mentally ill patients. Luckily, reacting openly to the exhibit is perfectly acceptable at this particular gallery. Based on the hundreds of notes left in the gallery’s comment book, a written debate is taking place as well.

The full blog post is at the NEW YORK TIMES.