After an exciting 2017, work completed during the Leverhulme residency was presented to the public at Ouseburn Open studios, stimulating interest and discussion around the theme of light and well-being. Work was exhibited at 36 Lime Street and this provided the opportunity for me to share information about the project, outlining the key achievements over the last 12 months. The residency has enabled new collaborations, extending my artistic practice. The main achievements for 2017 are summarised as follows:
• Prismatic Light Shelves – a daylight installation in Wolfson Building, Queen’s Campus, Stockton on Tees
• Installation of ‘Shoal’, a suspended glass sculpture, in Bioscience Department, Durham Campus
• Detailed study of the fall of light in HDU at James Cook University Hospital and consultation with lighting experts
• Dynamic light panel installation in Pain Unit, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough
• Light in the Darkness – an installation in the garden at Marie Curie Hospice, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Dynamic daylight installation – dayroom, Marie Curie Hospice
• Collection of qualitative and quantitative feedback from a wide audience
• Collaborative work with scientists, academics, architects, engineers and health care professionals including a detailed study of the High Dependency Unit, James Cook University hospital
• Presentation of the project at an International Symposium in Berlin
• Presentations to staff and students at Durham University
• New links with academics across a range of disciplines and potential future collaborations identified
• Dedicated University webpage for “Enlighten “ project (https://www.dur.ac.uk/wolfson.institute/research/)
• Exhibition of work associated with the project at Cheeseburn Sculpture Park from May-September 2017
• Presentation of work at Ouseburn Open Studios 2017
This residency has provided an exciting opportunity for me to develop my work in new ways. The experience of working within the University setting has been rich and rewarding and I have particularly valued the opportunity to meet and discuss the associated themes of the project with individuals from a wide range of specialisms. The experience of engaging with an audience in stressful hospital/hospice environments has informed my practice and fuelled my passion to work as an artist in such spaces. Art and light has been shown to bring enrichment to the experience of such spaces and I will continue to develop this work and seek further opportunities in such challenging settings.
The En’Light’en project is growing and will continue throughout 2018 when I will develop further this exciting work.
