Westfield London launches immersive installation to help visitors recognise the ten key symptoms of rare blood cancers

Westfield London (White City) has today welcomed an immersive AR exhibition, MPN 10, which shines a light on the symptoms of a group of rare blood cancers called myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) to help raise awareness this Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

The installation from Novartis sees ten bespoke sculptures which have been exclusively designed by five mural artists from around the UK, on display until 20th September. Each artwork represents one of the ten most common symptoms of MPN blood cancers which affects around 4,100 people in the UK each year. 1

UK street artists have created each work, including London-based muralist Frankie Strand who designed numbers 7 and 9. Designs are inspired by MPN patient’s descriptions of each symptom, and the eye-catching artworks also feature QR codes to lead visitors to an AR experience where the installation is personified into characters that represent the most common symptoms, such as ‘Night Sweats Nick’ and ‘Weight Loss Wendy’.

“One of the challenges with MPNs is that symptoms often go under the radar and get confused with ageing or other conditions. For example, if someone is facing extreme fatigue or experiencing nights sweats, they may put this down to the menopause, or their time of life” commented Alisia O’Sullivan, MPN Voice. “More needs to be done to recognise and identify these symptoms early so that people living with the condition can seek help from medical professionals to better manage their symptoms, and those who are undiagnosed can seek a potential diagnosis sooner.”

Marie-Andrée Gamache, Country President, Novartis UK and Ireland added: “This unique exhibition is part of Novartis’s ongoing commitment to transforming the lives of people living with blood cancers. By working in partnership with MPN Voice, we’ve been able to use real experiences from those living with MPNs about 1the true impact these symptoms have on their quality of life. We know art can be a powerful way to express feelings and draw attention to a cause, so we’re proud to have worked with five talented artists to portray the reality of these symptoms in such an attention-grabbing way.”

Mel Lalou, Head of Westfield Rise, said ““We’re delighted to work with Novartis and MPN Voice to help educate our visitors on an illness that will help save lives. Rare blood cancers affect more people in the UK than we realise, and the immersive experience teaches people how to spot symptoms in a creative and engaging way. Our centres offer far more than leisure and retail and working alongside charities like MPN Voice who are doing vital work to raise awareness for important causes.”

The art exhibition at Westfield White City will educate visitors for a week in Blood Cancer Awareness Month from 14 – 20 September before going on a roadshow tour of various UK cities.

To find out more about the MPN campaign, visitors can go to: https://www.novartis.com/uk-en/mpn10 whilst The MPN 10 Tracker website is a useful tool created and funded by Novartis for patients living with an MPN, helping them manage their disease: https://www.mpntracker.

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