Public Servant Lifestyle

A Remploy employee’s newly published work challenges assumptions about how the autistic mind processes information.

An Exact Mind – An Artist With Asperger Syndrome by Peter Myers, with Dr Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright.

A Remploy York employee - who has Asperger Syndrome - has realised a long held ambition with the publication of his unique and intricate pictures in a new book called An Exact Mind.

Peter has created all the artwork for the work, which has been produced with the assistance of two co-authors, Dr Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright, both from the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge.

An Exact Mind marks just the latest achievement in Peter’s artistic career; prior to this publication his work has been displayed at exhibitions all over the world and several of his designs are already available as postcards. His style of artwork – which takes the form of a very intricate use of dots, lines and other shapes to form striking abstract images, such that a single work can often take many weeks to complete.

“Peter Myers’ fantastically intricate and precise artworks are reproduced in the book and then analysed by the editors. But apparently Myers had his own ideas about their comments on his work and insisted on writing responses – which the publisher then included in the text. Most original.” – The Bookseller

Asperger Syndrome

Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 1996, Peter Myers’ stunning artwork reflects a remarkable ability to plan and organise visual information, and to embed illusions within pictures. In An Exact Mind, psychologists Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright discuss the work’s great psychological significance, explaining in straightforward language how Peter’s work challenges current assumptions about how the autistic mind processes information.

During working hours, Peter is a member of the textile production team at Remploy York, which is part of the UK’s largest employer of disabled people. Determined to achieve further progress in his art, he has just embarked on a part-time arts foundation course at York College. Peter Myers’ drawings serve as a rare window into the exacting creativity of the Asperger mind at work, and are brought together for the first time in this volume.

Remploy York manager Carl Ventress has encouraged Peter to strive for his ambitions. “I believe he has a real talent, which has now been recognised yet again with the publishing of his book. I have no doubt it is destined to become a best seller!”

Remploy Interwork Employment Services is a government organisation that works for and with disabled people, people with a health condition and employers. Remploy is the UK’s largest single employer of disabled people.

An Exact Mind – An Artist With Asperger Syndrome is out now, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and is available now from high street retailers – as well as directly from the publishers, priced: £15.95.

PSP Ltd is not responsible for the contents of external websites.

More information available in Arts & Culture, Books