About This Video

Due to a freak spinal infection, Ian Waterman lost all proprioception, his body’s sense of position in space, as well as all feeling. In order to do the everyday things we take for granted, he needs to watch his limbs and concentrate on his actions. In an interview, Waterman is asked to try to light a match with his eyes closed, which proves frustratingly difficult. Andrew Dawson presents The Articulate Hand, a media-rich, on-stage portrayal of patients whose peculiar impairments—physiological and neurological—provide stunning insights into just how we humans are wired, and how adaptable that wiring may be. 
More from this series: The Articulate Hand

Recorded June 2011; Posted January 2012