Sharing details of an exhibition hosted by Hospital Rooms, Norwich University of the Arts and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Exhibition details
Cavendish House, St Andrews Street, Norwich, NR2 4AE
Tuesday 16 November 2021 – Saturday 15 January 2022
Tuesday – Friday 12-5pm
Saturday 12-4pm
Free and open to all
About this event
Hospital Rooms, in collaboration with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Norwich University of the Arts, presents an exhibition showcasing our most innovative project to date at Northside House. The exhibition will present original artworks from service users and artists who lead creative workshops at Northside House.
Northside House is a medium secure unit for men in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and provides care to people who have a severe and enduring mental health diagnosis and have been in touch with the criminal justice system. This dual element often means that service users experience disproportionate stigma and, as a consequence, face a series of barriers to meaningful engagement with arts and culture.
The project has been celebrated by the Northside community for “completely transforming the culture of the ward” and pushing the boundaries of creativity within forensic services, prompting the question “why can’t we just let people be creative?” The most poignant piece of feedback came from a service user who, inspired by the project, painted their own full scale artworks on the ward. This has been described by staff as being “absolutely unheard of in secure services”.
During the project, service users and staff participated in a series of workshops alongside critically acclaimed artists Cara Nahaul, Carl Rowe, Dexter Dalwood, Jade Montserrat, Naomi Harwin and Richard Wentworth.
This project has helped to free individuals from the perceived shackles of detainment, diagnosis, risk and hopelessness.
Su Pashley, (People Participation Lead)
About Hospital Rooms
Hospital Rooms is an arts and mental health charity that exists to transform the face of mental health care in the UK. They bring together leading contemporary artists, NHS staff and service users to ask the critical question of how inpatient mental health units should look and feel. Co – founded by Artist Tim A Shaw and Curator Niamh White after a close friend was sectioned and admitted to a mental health hospital.
