You may remember our Vitrine Project at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, which brought together artists, staff and patients across different wards in a series of workshops to create artworks which form a diorama in the vitrines (two-sided glass spaces) that separate the communal living and dining areas in each ward.
For the first time since March 2020 the team have brought their creative projects back on to the wards and are really delighted to be back working with everyone again. Anne, Laura Lees and OT Samantha Philips have been working with Eden Ward – the female care for the elderly ward – to create individual fish out of textiles, which will all come together to create a large collective shoal in the vitrine. As you’ll see it’s a work in progress at the moment, but so far things are coming along swimmingly…
Eden Ward’s Vitrine Full of Fish
In last year’s post ‘Something Fishy in Eden Ward’s Vitrine’ we wrote about the beautiful textile fish which were being created in artist Laura Lee’s workshops on Eden Ward – the female care for the elderly ward at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Patients worked jointly to make individual fish by using the technique called applique, whereby different bits of fabric were place on a fabric fish template. Participants were encouraged to mark make instead of using traditional embroidery stitches and the results have been staggering. A rich variety of iridescent fabrics and threads created the detailed surface textures and patterns of scales in hand embroidery.
The fish are now finished and have been installed in the Eden Ward vitrine to produce an eye-catching underwater diorama, adding interest to the ward, and showcasing the wonderful work of the patients.