Starkey “…for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic” Release

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Starkey's November 2019 audio installation for the Community College of Philadelphia "...for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic" was released on the NOREMIXES label.

The concept of the project stemmed from the attention and discussions taking place around mental health in the media, and quickly turned down the path of the dark history of controversy, patient mistreatment and investigations into mental health facilities. Two such institutions, Pennhurst State School and Hospital, previously known as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic, and the Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry, were based in and near Philadelphia. Both institutions closed within two days of each other in 1987 due to a history of mistreatment of patients and controversial practices.