ARTIST Matthew Wardell has come up with a shocking way to publisise his epilepsy – by filming himself having fits.

And the disturbing footage has formed part of his final year project which was on display at the Southampton Solent University Fine Arts Degree show.

Matthew Wardell has been living with epilepsy since the age of 11.

And despite dealing with aftermath of seizures, he cannot remember what happens when they take place.

That’s why the 22-year-old from Woodside Road in Portswood, set up a video camera in his bedroom to record his seizures – and why he used the footage at the InSolent Fine Arts Degree Show.

It evoked a mixed response from people who viewed it from a room in the exhibition which had his desk with an 18- minute video loop of his seizures on his laptop.

The three seizures he chose were him dealing with one alone, his dad David Wardell comforting him and Matthew crying out for his father.

He said: “Many people got emotional watching it and started crying, while others thought it was acting, and some people found it amusing.

“When I first viewed it for the first myself I was upset but now I am a bit desensitised to it all having seen so many of them.”

When Matthew first found out he was epileptic he was just 11, and had partial seizures but the condition has become increasingly frequent.

He has fits once every two weeks, although other factors like stress can increase the chances of him suffering from one.

One of those times was when he had an interview at Goldsmith’s College in London and had a seizure the night before the interview.

Although he recorded his seizures in his bedroom, they can happen at anytime and anywhere. Matthew recalls one of them being in the centre of Southampton.

He said: “I was walking along The Avenue and then I woke up outside Southampton Magistrates Court, with no idea of what had just happened. After a seizure I just can’t do anything. It is like I know what I want to say but it won’t come out.

“At the time all I wanted to do was thank the people helping me, but the sad thing about having epilepsy means I can’t until it’s too late.”

“The danger is when I have a seizure I can do anything. I could run into traffic, but I have been lucky. My dad tells me I must seek out safe places subconsciously.”

It is the moments when they happen that are lost in time, and that is why Matthew wants to collect them by having a video camera in his room which is always on, ready for when another fit might happen.

Daily Echo:

It was a brave decision for Matthew to put his work on such a personal scale out to display, and he had to go against the wishes of his father to do it.

But it is the moments of his dad comforting him in one of the seizures that he feels people can empathise with the most. He said: “It was quite revealing watching the footage. And it shows the father son relationship that I have.”

He has put the recordings up on online and on his website – and he has received emails from other sufferers and their parents asking for advice.

He feels that people who have the condition should just live life to the full. He added: “Anyone who suffers with epilepsy should stay strong and do not let it dictate your life. It can control your life and there are things you can’t do because of it, but just try to get on with life the best you can.”

** To view his work, which is of a graphic nature visit mattwardell.com.

To get help and support if you suffer from epilepsy visit epilepsy.org.uk/involved/branches/southwest.