Led by the Les Sciences infusent association, this exhibition offers a cross-section of history, medicine and artistic creation to show the plurality of this pathology and the diversity of its expressions.
Depression, an illness present throughout the centuries
Depression has been a recognized suffering since ancient times, although its names and explanations have evolved over the centuries, from early Mesopotamian descriptions to modern psychiatry. The first traces appear in Mesopotamian texts, then Hippocrates theorizes it as a “melancholy” linked to the imbalance of humors. Later, Avicenna offers a more detailed analysis. In the 19th century, alienists (precursors of psychiatrists) made it a central object of emerging psychiatry. Despite these developments, the same form of suffering remains recognizable over time.
The exhibition The faces of depression proposes to go through this history to show that depression is not a single reality, but multiple. It highlights the diversity of its symptoms, the way in which medicine and research describe them, as well as the representations given in art which, has always, also translated this experience. The exhibition is a project resulting from the call for expressions of interest (AMI) of Sciences infusent. It was developed in collaboration with the research unit Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (LilNCog) and in connection with the Calypso project.
The project Calypso (Objective Psychiatric Clinic and Analysis) is at the heart of this exhibition. It relies on artificial intelligence and computer vision to analyze observable signs of depression: facial expressions, head and body movements, voice characteristics and even gait. The objective is to complement traditional clinical observation with more objective measurements, in order to improve the understanding of depression and to develop more precise and adapted diagnoses and treatments. The Calypso project is notably supported by staff from the research unit LilNcog and the Lille University Hospital Center.
Where to discover the exhibition?
The exhibition The faces of depression is visible from May 20 au June 14, 2026 at the Conclave Hall of the Palais Rihour (42 Place Rihour, 59000 Lille). The place is accessible by public transport including the metro – Line 1: Rihour stop.
The schedules of free visits are as follows:
- Monday to Friday : 10h – 12h ; 14h – 17h
- Weekend and public holiday : 10h – 17h30 with the presence of a mediator.