Just heard that Swansea exhibition to be extended by another month due to popular demand.
Also, – this is incredible- Dr Reeves has been approached by a top London literary agency. Watch this space…..
The first major draft of the book ( my section ) is complete and I am taking a rest from it , giving the project a bit of breathing space, and returned to making some more internet films.
Uploaded to Youtube yesterday Stone Circle, made at last week's Pittenween Arts Festival.
It is clear that having ex-patients or a former staff member in attendance at the exhibition adds greatly to the whole experience.
I am having very good reports back of audience participation not only from the local community from young schoolchildren to their grandparents but also the many foreigners who are visiting Swansea.
This week Pam Hamer , an ex-child patient from the late 1940s said she never stopped talking to people all day.
They were fascinated to be able to speak to someone about the photographic exhibition.
One of Pamela's stories is that she woke up one night on the castle balcony, where the children slept outdoors all year round, to find a rat in her bed.
She screamed, and screamed and the night nurse said:
"It is only Joey, the pet rat come to say good-night to you!"
Ann Shaw is an artist/writer based in Scotland working in new media. As a journalist she campaigned and wrote about many social and medical issues. She is a feminist and founder member of Falkirk Womens Aid, active in the trades union movement and former member of National Union of Journalists Equality Working Party, and founder member of Forth Valley Open Studios.
