ARTLINK HOSPITAL ARTS
Welcome to our blog! Here you can keep up to date with the latest goings on in the Glasshouses Creative Hub and on the wards of the Royal Edinburgh, Western General and St John’s hospitals. Find out more about our work, access the archive of our activities across hospitals in the Lothians over the past 40 years, or browse through our archived newsletters. If you want to know more then contact us and we will be to happy to help!
The Sea Trek Parade at the REH
Sea Trek marked the fourth annual parade to take place at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. This year we left land behind and looked beneath the waves for inspiration, transforming the hospital grounds into a celebration of sea life.
Led by Poseidon – god of the seas – the parade took form with the Wednesday Art Group as Poseidon’s shoal draped in hand-printed shell tunics and vibrant coral headdresses, Michael the Octopus, Sean the Lobster, Tommy and his Squid, alongside Wilma the Whale and a sea of tropical fish, turtles and jellyfish to bring up the rear!
Rhythmic drumming by Marafiki and chants led by “Starfish” Len kept the energy high:
“All Save the Whale!”
“Don’t hurtle the turtle!”
“Squiddy, Squiddy, Squiddy… INK! INK! INK!”
Our route flowed from the Glasshouses, past “Turtle Beach” beside the Robert Fergusson Unit and the R.E.B entrance (where we engaged in some lively jellyfish jiving), before reaching the Community Gardens for a welcome break. Cyrenians staff and volunteers showed great hospitality as they shared refreshments and starfish scones amid competitive seahorse races. Our last stop at the Hive featured a performance of sea poems read aloud against a backdrop of delicate banners, bubbles and jellyfish bunting made in the Hive’s creative groups.
Sea Trek was the culmination of three months of workshops with patients, staff and volunteers. Guided by textile and embroidery artist Laura Lees, participants transformed everyday and discarded materials into extraordinary creations: curtains became tentacles, umbrellas transformed into jellyfish, cardboard excavated from the Hospital Tech Department became painted seascapes, tropical fish, seahorse placards and turtles, bedding became a banner and a whale and last year’s giant carrot was reborn as a squid.
Thank you to everyone who participated and made this years parade a reality!
Roaming Creatives
Throughout the year we have a great team of artists – Hailey Beavis, Laura Lees, Aimee Brown, Nick Evans, and Anne Elliot, working on wards in the Western General, St John’s and Royal Edinburgh hospitals. They create a space where patients can get lost for while in the process of making, creating and socialising.
On medicine of the elderly wards at the Western, Hailey and Laura are bringing a wide variety of creative experiences to patients. The activity brings a focus to the day and joy in the experience of making something together. Hailey briefly reflects on the purpose of her input; “Wanting to bring the outside in for patients with Dementia at the Western General Hospital, I created recognisable leaf shapes inspired by all the autumn colours. We spent a happy day decorating the leaves with pens and sparkles whilst we chatted and listened to music. At the end of the group workshops we had lots of unique leaves which I stuck around a cardboard ring to make a wreath. Everyone loved seeing it come together, and enjoyed the feeling of being part of something.”
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