And to keep the bad puns going we think this cat by Grace is just PURRRRFECT!
Royal Edinburgh Hospital
At the REH Artlink have always supported the involvement of patients within creative and horticultural activity. The last couple of years we have been focused on the idea of ‘Grounds for Change’ which aims to not only provide valuable activity for the patients, but also to effect some form of physical change to their environment.
The programme responds to:
The need for activity that patients can undertake. Through a variety of workshop programmes we provide much needed activity around the hospital.
The need for patients to have non-clinical spaces within the hospital grounds. Our aim is to transform some spaces into spaces that feel much more like a home environment than a hospital environment.
Patients choices are often drastically reduced when they are in hospital, we also aim, where feasible, to increase the level of choice presented to the patient.
The need for patients peer to peer support within the hospital.
The need for some form of normalized social environment.
The need for relatives to have non clinical spaces in which to visit their loved ones.
The Green Space and Art Space PSP programme
In Stitches: Anne Elliot – Forest
Anne is currently working on this forest piece and was inspired by a David Hockney painting. We think that Anne can definitely see the woods for the trees!
Anne says, ‘’The Hockney landscape paintings are vast in size and on viewing them I felt drenched in colour. They have had a lasting impact on me. It has been a challenge to break away from the original Hockney – I found myself being slavishly true to the original. I really enjoyed being unleashed with colour after monochrome Meg. Working with embroidery threads for the first time made my stitches much smaller and tighter than the wool used in creating Meg. Working in tandem with others through the ‘In Stitches’ group kept me going with this project which so easily could have joined all the other unfinished garments from decades ago.’’
In Stitches: Anne Elliot – Meg
Anne has lovingly captured her Mum’s dog Meg in this beautiful piece. As Franklin Jones said ‘Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job’!
Anne says ‘’Thanks to lockdown and Laura Lees this was my first venture in sewing for 3 decades. I was surprised and encouraged by this perfect tonic to lockdown. Homemade size 12 dresses have been replaced by a pictorial interpretation of my favourite family dog Meg, using freestyle stitching. I was trying to draw with thread and fabric, enjoying the textures and working with limited resources at home. For a change I can be the one to say, I have not done this since school!’’
In Stitches: Dorothy – Bass Rock
Dorothy: Bass Rock
Dorothy is currently working on a new piece which is inspired by a painting she has of the Bass Rock. We love how she is capturing the monumental form of the rock itself. Dorothy says, “The Bass Rock is inspired by childhood memories of holidays and weekends spent in a caravan at North Berwick. I feel grateful for the knowledge I’ve received on different techniques and the sharing of ideas. It has been great via Zoom to receive weekly updates.”
In Stitches: Dorothy – Owl
Dorothy: Owl
Is Dorothy a wise old owl? we think so, though she may dispute the old part of that! We love the character Dorothy has managed to capture in the Owl. HOOT HOOT HOORAY! Dorothy says, “I have an affinity with owls and elephants for some reason!”
In Stitches: Anna Becker – Kilimanjaro
Anna Becker – Kilimanjaro
Anna is currently working on a piece inspired by Kilmanjaro. It’s not finished yet but you can see how its progressing and we will upload images of all the finished pieces at the end of the project. From a humble teapot to a vast landscape!
In Stitches: Anna Becker – Teapot and Cup
Anna Becker – Teapot and Cup
For this piece Anna took inspiration from the things around her, things that most people have like a teapot and a mug. We love the finished cushion, and it shows how everyday objects spark joy! Anna said,
“I was really not sure when I started this. It wasn’t something I would normally have thought of doing but I found myself enjoying making new stitches although I was never sure how it would turn out. It’s not perfect, but I quite like the finished product.”
Edinburgh Landmarks – Drawings and Paintings from The REH Open Art Studios
The Edinburgh Landmarks exhibition has just finished at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and we decided to create a small publication to celebrate the creativity of the participants. Each of the people who took part in the exhibition received a copy as a thank you for taking part, as most were not able to see their work on display in the exhibition, they all loved it and so do we. View a selection of works, as well as the publication itself.
Next in the Link Gallery is an exhibition of drawings by Albert Nicolson. A series of beautiful line drawings of hats created in Artlink workshops at the R.E.H. Some of you may remember them from the Mark Dion exhibition at the Talbot Rice Gallery in 2014 as part of Ever Present Past.
We are also talking to Hans K Clausen, Hospital Exhibitions Manager, Tonic Arts Programme about developing another exhibition to go into the REH. Watch this space.
Forth Rail Bridge, GCG, Eden Ward.
Scott Monument – Neil Gaffney
Ramsay Gardens – Michelangelo
Scott Monument – Gemma Valentine
Calton Hill – Guiseppe Zappa
The Clock of My Dreams – Maggie Keppie
You can view the Edinburgh Landmarks booklet below, or view full-screen at Issuu (external link).
Lost for Words
Lost for Words is our creative writing project.
The first phase has just finished, and we were delighted to have author Laura Marney as our first writer. Laura is a Scottish writer with a great sense of humour, as anyone who has read her second novel, ‘Nobody Loves a Ginger Baby’, will know! Laura mentored 6 people over a 10-week period, two of whom are NHS members of staff.
We were delighted to also have Merrick Pope working on the project with us, to support patients and make sure that we are following all the guidelines. Merrick is a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Self Harm Service at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and has worked on writing projects in the past. There was lots of good dry witted banter between us all in the development and implementation of the project.
We have been really impressed by the commitment of the participants and the scope, range and skill of writing that has come out of phase one. We will be sharing those results in both text and audio podcasts in later posts, so please look out for them.
We are currently talking to Carol Paterson of the MAC (Meaningful Activities Centre) at the Western General, and we are excited about developing the next part of the project with them, delivering both the writing project and some training for staff.
We still have more capacity, so we would really like to hear from departments or members of staff at the Western General, Royal Infirmary or St Johns who would be interested in developing another writing project with us. Please contact Trevor on trevor@artlinedinburgh.co.uk to start those conversations.