All the wards in the New Royal Edinburgh Building have had their first vitrine workshop with artist Tom Krasny. The project is supported by the Green Space Art Space PSP and the idea is to use the glass spaces in the wall that divide the communal dining and living spaces to create dioramas. Each ward will have a slightly different theme and the pieces made during the workshops will help populate and tell the story of the scene.

It is an energising process as Tom explains: “From my experience running workshops at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, art activities allow participants to shift focus from stressful circumstances, concentrate on something external and make creative decisions which are at the same time intuitive and subjective. In workshops that take place in hospitals, making the work is often a collaborative effort – a dialogue between an artist or staff member and a patient.

Engaging in creative activities together is fun and informal. It gives participants a sense of agency in a place which often makes them feel controlled. What’s more, it lets them personalise objects in an environment that can feel very impersonal. Art activities also allow space for valuable interpersonal exchange.

I am frequently surprised by and learn from people I work with, their ingenuity, sense of humour and creative choices. The success of a collaborative artwork lies in the approach and atmosphere in which it is made, and I can personally say working with Artlink has made me, as well as many other people, very happy.”

People get so much out of involvement in the arts. Working together in workshops encourages a solidarity between patients that often follows them from hospital to community. The safe space that the workshops represents allows people to be themselves, to use their imagination and follow through on ideas away from clinical environment. This is invaluable.