Performance: The Vanishing Point

Presented in conjunction with LA Arts and Health Week, The Vanishing Point tells the story of Christopher Bailey’s journey into blindness, and what he learned about perception, empathy, and the healing power of the arts.

The Vanishing Point is both a personal story and a journey across the history of humanity’s quest for sense-making, from our hunter gatherer days, through modern times, and to the recent discoveries in neurology which are beginning to shed light on the science behind deep aesthetic experiences and their healing power. At times harrowing, fascinating, funny, and moving, this event may well change the way you see the world.

Introduced by the world renowned soprano and Arts and Health advocate Renee Fleming, the performance will be followed by a discussion with the audience.

This performance is part of the special LA Arts and Health Week series of events and a Healing Arts presentation.

Christopher Bailey is the Arts and Health Lead for the World Health Organization. He cofounded the Healing Arts initiative which has had activations in London, Paris, New York, and Houston, with planned activations for Kigali and Riyadh next year. The program builds sustainable arts-based health interventions in communities, focusing especially on underserved populations, as well as on building the evidence base to support policy at the national and international level. Bailey was educated at Columbia and Oxford Universities as well as at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time. Honored with four Grammy awards and the National Medal of Arts, Renée has sung at momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. A prominent advocate for research at the intersection of music, health, and neuroscience, she works with the National Institutes of Health, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Aspen Institute, and Johns Hopkins University on initiatives such as the NeuroArts Blueprint and The Sound Health Network, and is Advisor for Special Projects at LA Opera. Other honors include the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, and numerous honorary doctorates.

Tickets required. Seating is limited and first come, first served. Visitors are required to wear face masks in all indoor spaces including restrooms, regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated visitors are encouraged to wear face masks outdoors. A well-fitting, medical-grade mask, surgical mask, or higher level respirator such as an N95 or KN95 mask is strongly recommended.