Evaluation of Artworks Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital 2006 – 2009 June 2009 Delday and Douglas, rgu insert Insert rach rgu art logo logo
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Questions for the wider sector Ambition involves risk and trust That the project did not go according to plan was in part due to scope of project (two sites) but also to the ambition of the RACH approach. Arguably there should have been much more planning in this project, yet to heavily proscribe a process is not characteristic of the RACH approach. The approach is to marry two (traditionally separate) artistic processes, with quality invested in the process (artists’ consultations and workshops) and producing a high quality end product from this process. For this to succeed it depends on trusting in the process – staff are asked at the outset what they might want from an art project; the artists’ briefs are then developed reflecting and giving scope for the ambition. There are open-ended ideas in the briefs - open to interpretation by different the stakeholders. The consultation by the artist with staff and young people can (hopefully) lead to a ‘common understanding’ of the direction of the work with the final product being invested with the ‘ingredients’ and thinking from the consultations and from participation in workshops. The danger of open ideas in a brief is that there can be no clarity in the direction of the work because there are different interpretations and/or a different emphasis on the focus for the work from the outset. Providing a supportive framework does not necessarily lead to a ‘common understanding’, nor a consensus, as developed though the artist’s consultative process. For a brief with open-ended ideas to work there needs to be a commitment from the staff and the artist, with a level of openness and trust between them. For this to happen there must be sufficient time given and this was not the case for the Lowit site. However, some departments may not want this approach to making art, preferring something more traditional and simpler. One question or issue is the tension created between providing a supportive framework for developing a project with an unknown outcome – an exploratory process - in contrast to a highly structured process with a fairly clear idea of the end product. In projects with a broad stakeholding (as in the RACH programme) there is room for both approaches in a single project. However (as in the CAFMH project) there does need to be a shared understanding (between the Art Group and staff) of which approach is suitable and how this fits into the bigger project (i.e. two sites in one brief). 5.3 Case study 3 (a) Surgical and Medical Ward Entrance (b) Treatment Rooms in Surgical and Medical and Day Case Unit A note on Case study 3 Originally this case study was one project – the Ward Entrance for Surgical and Medical – but was changed to include two commissions undertaken by the same artist. In each project the type of consultancy was different; an external youth group in the Ward Entrance project (3a), and users of the hospital in the Treatment Rooms (3b). These as a single case study give valuable information on:
These have implications for developing an emergent model of partnership and stakeholder working Case study 3(a) Surgical and Medical Ward Entrance 5.3.1 The brief The brief was for the artist to produce artwork for the entrance or foyer to the Surgical and Medical Wards. On approaching the doors for the two wards you first go through double doors where you are faced with a large area of black glass panels. You would then turn left for the Medical ward, and right for the Surgical, where visitors buzz for entry via a security system. This wall was originally designed to give borrowed light to the rooms behind it, but because these rooms had changed and had become treatment rooms, where privacy was obviously needed, they were painted black. This resulted in the entrance being a very dark area. The aim was to make the ward entrance ‘more welcoming’ for patients and visitors and to allow light through to the rooms behind the black glass panel. The artist would consult with the external partner in the project - the Bridge of Don Academy, Aberdeen - and (to a limited extent) with the staff as to clinical practicalities, and parents and families ‘where appropriate’. 5.3.2 Summary of the consultancy process External Youth Group and partner in the project – Bridge of Don Academy, Aberdeen A distinctive characteristic of this project was the involvement and work undertaken by the project partner before the artist was engaged. The coordinator approached the principal teacher for art and design at Bridge of Don Academy to see if they were interested in being involved - approximately 12 months prior to the artist being commissioned. She welcomed the opportunity to work on a ‘real design brief’ and wanted the project ‘to be a total learning experience for the pupil’. She worked with her second year art class (20 pupils) using the brief throughout the whole of their second year. The coordinator and teacher worked through the brief to understand it’s requirements and organised the pupils to visit the hospital where they were given a tour of existing artworks and a talk by the coordinator on Health and Safety requirements and Infection control. They saw the ward entrance area and spoke to some of the play staff. Pupils thought the area was very dark ‘quite scary’ and a smaller space than they had imagined (October 2007).61 In their art classes the pupils undertook research and development of the brief working in 5 groups. They developed their chosen theme for the project by making models of the area, visuals and presenting them to the class (see B of D Report). The pupils and the teacher were involved in the artist selection process. At the interview of candidates the panel felt that none of the artists could work well with an external youth group.62 Later, when the artist had been commissioned for the Surgical and Medical Treatment Rooms, the coordinator showed the school this artist’s work and they were ‘wowed by it’ and she was commissioned. It was also felt by the Art Group that, because the two areas were in close proximity, it made sense to have the one artist. They were happy with the artist’s ability to conduct consultation and (as noted by the coordinator) she had already been disclosed.63 The artist’s first visit to the school and contact with the pupils (15th April 2008) was to make a presentation of her work and see the pupils’ work. Three weeks later she returned and conducted a one-day workshop with the class (7th May 2008) and each of the18 pupils produced a collage. These were taken by the artist and mounted in window frames to be displayed in the hospital (ward entrance). An idea by the artist was to have an accompanying ‘ballot box’ to take votes on the ‘top three choices’ of collages - by themselves as well as the patients, families and staff. The results would be used to inform the final artwork.64 The pupils saw their work in situ and with the help of the play staff met some of the patients and showed them the collages. The work was left up for 4 weeks and over 80 votes were collected by users of the space and were collated by the coordinator. 65 The top themes or subjects in the collages, and used to inform the final artwork, were ‘rainforest’, and ‘underwater’ and ‘space’. The artist visited the Academy (October 2008) to present her ‘concept visuals’ and explain how their work had influenced the design ideas. The artwork, a large scale light box (‘Lumiwall’) and aluminium panel was completed in Jan/Feb 2009 The collages made by the pupils were professionally framed and are on permanent display in the stairwell of the hospital. The Academy was invited to the RACH Event (28th March 2009) a day celebrating the completion of the programme and to see the finished artwork (for the first time). 5.3.3 Early stage: Hopes and anticipated challenges The Art Group and coordinator thought that the area was very dark and ‘quite scary’ or ‘freaky’ because of painted handprints on the glass (temporary images). It needed to be transformed into something ‘eye catching’ and ‘cheerful’ for patients, families and staff. The area needed to give ‘a welcoming first impression’ and they wanted ‘the buy-in of the users of the space through good consultation and involvement.’ Potential challenges were practical concerns – lighting of the area, the curved shape of the glass panel and the need to maintain the blacked out area on the other side of the glass, yet let light through. A consideration was also the time it might take for the installation. The teacher hoped that the project would give the pupils a greater understanding of the design process and ‘specifically an appreciation of artwork housed in public spaces.’ It was also hoped that the pupils would realise learning could be highly productive outside the classroom and how children and adults could work together. Her main concern was whether an appropriate artist would be commissioned as this ‘could make or break the success of the project’. 5.3.4 Staff support and involvement When the pupils visited the hospital the play staff assisted the coordinator by taking the pupils in small groups into the wards to meet the patients and chat with them. The teacher had worked very hard to make the project part of the curriculum and to organise pupil involvement. Permissions for the pupils to take part (from the School and from parents) was sought. Time-tabling and organising had been ‘very tricky’ with the visits to the hospital, and spending a whole day for the workshop, which was only possible because there was some flexibility in the teacher’s timetable as examinations were happening. 5.3.5 The artist’s process and responses (external partner) Prior to spending a day working with the class the artist made preparations with the teacher via email so that the class would understand what to do.66 The teacher was anxious that the artist would be able to work with the pupils and be able to ‘take their views on board’. She described her role as very much ‘the discipline of the class’ who were ‘very excited about working with the artist, as they’ve been waiting for this day for a long time’.67 On meeting the artist she found her ‘brilliant’ and was pleased as, because of having a teaching background, the artist knew what to expect from pupils of this age and was very much ‘on their wavelength’ which was ‘a really, really important factor’. 68 At the workshop the pupils took the themes they had been working on and developed these through the medium of collage. Using the excellent resources in the art room (materials, computers, printers etc), each pupil produced a ‘mood square’ (collage). The artist engaged the group extremely well and all of the pupils worked hard and enthusiastically. At the end of the day the set of ‘excellent collages’ were reviewed and discussed by pupils, Academy staff, the coordinator and the evaluator as a group. Responses from the pupils at the end of the day’s workshop showed that they had enjoyed the experience, it was: ‘good fun’, ‘something different from what we normally do’, ‘exciting’, ‘good to be working with the hospital’, and felt ‘really privileged because we are the only class in Aberdeen that gets to do this.’ None of them had worked with an artist before and they seemed particularly impressed with her ‘coming up with good ideas,’ that she ‘listened’ and ‘helped them develop their ideas’ and that she was able to relate like this with them – ‘good with kids, knows what makes us tick’. 69 The project as an example of curriculum excellence During the workshop the Head and Deputy Head both showed their interest and support by coming to visit. The Deputy Head (and Year Head responsible for 1st and 2nd year) offered some observations: ‘It’s amazing to see how they are working through the project and developing their ideas. There are a couple of ‘characters’ I see around the school and here it seems they are concentrating and thinking less about themselves and more about others ... I think this is what Curriculum For Excellence is – it’s all about doing projects from start to end, creating a finished project rather than doing something for a couple of weeks, marking this and moving on to the next thing. Here there is a product and they’re developing their ideas in teams and seeing the work through to the end ... This is when I get excited - when I see how much progress has been made. It’s great that they are getting a good run at it for the whole day - the curriculum doesn’t really allow for that normally.’ The artist enjoyed the experience commenting that it was much harder to engage with kids outside the school environment, i.e. without a teacher as ‘an authority figure who can control the process and ‘act as a filter’. The artist felt the teacher had given her excellent support and to a degree she was ‘bringing the icing on the cake’ given the work already done by the pupils on their project. 5.3.6 Negotiating the end product Pupils’ anticipations – the issue of ‘input’ After the workshops the artist interpreted the material she had gathered from the pupils and produced initial design ideas (options). She made a third ‘extra’ visit to the school, at the coordinator’s request, to present the ideas and fully explain how the pupils’ input was influencing the ideas.70 The need for this visit had been prompted by the difficulties another external youth group were having in terms of understanding and seeing their influence in the artworks (Case study 2 CAFMH).71 The artist’s intention (emailed in advance to the teacher) was to make a presentation and talk about their input. She also wanted to discuss ‘what the group's anticipations were’ and ‘how the reality might be something different’ and to explain some of the ‘concrete things’ that also had a major impact on the designs (e.g. the budgets, health and safety issues). She also wanted their feedback to some of the options, before developing the designs to show to the Art Group and staff. This visit did not go very well for a number of reasons. By this time the pupils were in third year making it difficult for them to come together as a group, and it was not the whole group (including the girl who had made the ‘top’ collage) and the time they had together was just 45 minutes. The pupils did not seem to see their input in these designs and a few individuals ‘took over’ the short meeting by insisting their design should have ‘won’ (the space theme). There wasn’t enough time for the artist to discuss everything she had planned and by the end of the meeting ‘discussion was just getting going’ when they had to stop. After this visit the coordinator showed the visuals to staff and patients and liaised and consulted with the Art Group prior to fabrication and installation. Final product A large scale Lumiwall was installed in front of the blacked out glass panels.72 This piece entitled ‘Amazony’ combines elements from two themes –rainforest and ocean, (a butterfly and some angelfish) as well as incorporating elements from other collages. A second artwork (digital print on aluminium) of a spaceman was installed on the right-hand wall inside the double doors of the entrance. The artist and coordinator worked closely on the final stage of fabrication and installation. The relatively new technology of Lumiwall was thoroughly researched by the artist and the responsibility of its fit and compliance with Health and Safety requirements was checked by them both i.e. the contractor the artist used and with the Estates department. After installation it was found that the Lumiwall could not be switched on because it interfered with the security camera on the opposite wall. Estates were contacted by the coordinator and arrangements made to move the security camera around the corner. With the aluminum panel (spaceman) there was some additional work done by the artist after installation at the request of the coordinator - adding colour to the wall behind the panel. (ILLUSTRATIONS) 5.3.7 Completion of the project: reflections on process and responses to final artwork The Art Group thought the artist’s ‘professional approach’ meant the project ‘went really well’. The process had been inclusive and using the ballot box to vote for the favorite collage showed ‘real participation’ and it was good that young people’s imagery had been included in the final work. The staff had been consulted on any clinical considerations, and were ‘very enthusiastic’ though they were ‘happy for the artist to come up with the artistic solution’. The final installation was thought to have ‘high visual impact’ (vibrant colours) and make a huge difference to the whole of the second floor which is the main in-patient floor of the hospital. A ‘welcoming aesthetic’ The coordinator observed that the ward entrance as a space has two different views. Approaching you see the Lumiwall as you wait to go into the wards, and leaving you walk past the Lumiwall and see the spaceman. She describes the effect of the artwork as ‘working on two different levels’ as ‘ingress and egress’. On leaving the busy cluttered’ wards you suddenly see the spaceman – floating on the coloured background (wall) ‘saying bye-bye, as thought he is chatting to you.’ Equally, on arriving he is waving and welcoming you. Lots of children had said to her they loved the spaceman and she thought that this was because he’s ‘more fun than anything else - he’s completely whacky.’ Extending the installation to two pieces of artwork The coordinator thought that the spaceman piece might not have been done by the artist if it had not been for the artist’s last visit to the school – where some ‘rather boisterous boys at the front had tried to take over the whole session’ insisting their space theme was the winning one and that they thought that they had won ‘some sort of competition’. (She also noted that it was the girls, not the boys, who came to the RACH Event on 28th March 2009 to see the work). Expectations of external youth group Reflecting on the pupils’ responses i.e. that they did not seem to understand or see their influence in the design ideas, the coordinator described the way in which she had introduced the project to external youth groups was as being to ‘inform’ the final artwork. She thought that she should have had more contact and communication with the school 73 and that her description/explanation of what was expected of them, in terms of being consulted, should have been made much clearer by herself at the outset. She noted that this was essentially a ‘communication problem’ because of young people’s prior experience, namely a familiarity with community art-style projects. This approach is where the young people actually make the final work, or their work is used literally, physically as the finished product with the artist ‘remaking it’.74 What young people are less familiar with is ‘public consultation’ where their ideas might be taken and developed by the artist in the interpretation of the space that was being addressed. Celebrating the pupils work Something already understood by the coordinator was the need to ‘celebrate’ young people’s work in a project like this. The collages (which she thought were ‘gorgeous’) were professionally framed and publicly displayed in the stairwell of the hospital. She knew young people liked to ‘see their own stamp’ and so had planned (and budgeted) for this. Interestingly the three themes that came out of the ballot (jungle, water and space) were, in her experience, very typical of the subjects young people are interested in.75 Recognition by the young people on seeing the finished work The coordinator noted that the problem of youth groups not understanding their involvement had also occurred in two other projects with two other external youth groups. Yet she did feel that the young people had ‘actually got it in the end’, by her repeatedly explaining their part in the project with the youth group leaders and with group members.76 That some individual members of the youth groups could see their influence or input through their involvement was observed when they were invited to the RACH Event (28th March 2009) and saw the final artwork for the first time.77 For example, the play staff coordinator had very positive feedback from one of the Academy pupils attending the event with her sister and her mum. They were all thrilled with the final artwork and the pupil felt very proud to have been involved and keen to be involved in any other art projects. A successful project Staff (the ward sisters for Medical and for Surgical and the department manager) were all very pleased with the finished result, despite a problem arising with the Lumiwall (giant light box) which was installed opposite the security cameras. This interfered with the cameras and so had to remain switched off. Two staff thought that, although this was a shame, the piece still looked good and has a ‘real wow factor’ and was ‘absolutely gorgeous’. One of the staff noted that this area can get quite hot in the summer time and (implied) that maybe it would need to be switched off at times, but this was fine as it looked good without begin lit up as well. Interestingly she expressed her personal taste (and stressed that it was not a criticism) of liking the spaceman less than other stand alone pieces of artwork (‘it looked like a surfboard’) though she felt sure some of the children would love it. She also thought it was great that well children (the pupils) were able to come into the wards and could chat with the patients – they could see what a hospital was like. This feeling was echoed by play staff (who had taken the practical responsibility for this happening). Senior staff involvement The department manager felt that the project had been very successful – staff had been involved throughout the whole process from the selection of the artist through to commenting on the design ideas. At all stages they were kept ‘fully updated’ by the coordinator, including when the artist would be in the wards. When the project was happening in the department it had been ‘exceptionally busy’ and so some of the staff could not be as involved as they might have wished. She thought it was really good that the artist(s) based themselves in the play area because it is situated between the wards and was ‘a very pertinent area to engage with the children’. It was also good that they were ‘very strongly linked’ with the play staff and the feedback she had got from them was that the patients had ‘really enjoyed the sessions’ and ‘were able to get their input into the ideas’. In terms of being involved in the project she was really pleased to be asked to be part of the interview process but at the time had felt a real dilemma of needing (and wanting) to be involved to get things right from a service provision point of view - ‘right kind of work would be installed’, and the time pressure of her clinical work. She described this as ‘a double edged sword’ of being involved in an art project in a hospital – and ‘how much time and energy you can put into the project with the other competing priorities on the clinical side.’ In terms of the Lumiwall not being lit up, she felt it was ‘a real shame because it does look better switched on’, but she felt they had done absolutely everything possible in terms of the thoroughness of the process – they were fully involved in the process, looked at the designs and had ‘tried really hard to consider all the potential obstacles’. She felt it was difficult to know how to make the process any better because ‘potentially it could have been missed no matter how diligent the process was’. A can-do attitude by the Estates Dept In terms of the problem with the security cameras being opposite the Lumiwall she had contacted the Estates department immediately. They had said to her this was ‘no problem’ and this was typical of ‘the wonderful can-do attitude’ she had experienced from them. Their cooperation and help played a crucial part in delivering the project. Educational impact through involvement The principal teacher for art had enjoyed the experience and described it as one of the best things she had ever done in relation to education. The whole project had had ‘a big impact on pupils’ learning’, specifically: • Investigating and researching the specific design needs of a brief made them more aware of the difficulties designers face on the real world • Fully and enthusiastically embracing the project had built their confidence • Using technology in new ways e.g. powerpoint presentation of their work • A significantly large uptake of pupils coming back to the subject in S3 • The project experience had helped to give a greater understanding of how to research the Standard Grade design units.
• The pupils’ skills and use of IT gave her ideas to use with other classes • The artist’s approach to making collages had introduced fresh ideas and ways to describe this creative process.
The teacher explained the educational benefits the project had had i.e. as core to her delivery of the S2 curriculum and that the pupils had really enjoyed the experience and she had also benefited (see above). On the artist’s last visit she felt that the pupils had been a bit confused and disappointed when they were asked to view the initial ideas for the final work and ‘being teenagers’ they had thought that more of their ideas would be in the final outcome. It had been difficult for her explaining that their input was to provide ‘ideas as a stimulus’ for the artist. She thought this should have been made much clearer at the start of the project.
The main difficulty for the teacher was costs - staff cover for herself when she visited the hospital with the pupils and the cost of hiring buses and the use of school materials. It had been a very expensive project and, although stressing her desire to be involved again, she felt that these costs could have been considered as part of the RACH project budget. For them to be involved in a future project (which she very much wanted) it would be necessary for their costs to be considered. (The type of project would also have to have educational value and the preference would be for artists’ residencies within the school as well as ‘community involvement’ projects). Clarity on involvement – what public consultation means The coordinator understood the need for more contact to ‘continually re-affirm’ the aims of the project with the external partners (pupils and teacher) and to explain more clearly what the young people’s involvement would be at the outset, i.e. that they are ‘part of a larger project’ and that ‘their input is to inform the final work’ and that this is ‘not the same thing as community style art projects where the artist facilitates their artwork or ideas as the final outcome.’ She thought this was a very important point, namely the need to explain the difference between two styles of making art - community art and public art (i.e. professional artistic production that is influenced by public consultation) and to explain clearly how the young people ‘fit into the project’.78 A necessarily thorough process (Senior clinical staff) The department manager wasn’t sure how the process could have been more thorough and thereby avoid the problem with the Lumiwall and security cameras. She seemed accepting that unforeseen hitches can, and will, happen (‘there was right at the end – a monster staring us in the face!’). Reducing clinical time spent at the interview stage The department manager stressed the necessity and desire for the clinical staff to be fully involved if there were to be another art project. As the interview selection process for the artist had involved 4 clinicians (two ward sisters, department head and play staff) over a day and half and she suggested finding or developing a way of reducing this amount of time. For example maybe the Art Group could undertake the interviews, using questions provided by the clinicians and then meet with the clinicians at the end of the day to show them the artists’ visuals along with summaries of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. Trialling the installation One of the ward managers suggested that it might be useful in future to trial things beforehand, e.g. before the installation of the artworks (Lumiwall). The artist reflecting on the consultation process In the early stages of the project the artist had an idea to set up a blog with the pupils, but this wasn’t taken up because of access issues. Asking her if distance was an issue in the project she acknowledged that, if she lived locally, it would have been easier to pop in from time to time and that possibly the pupils did feel she was ‘a very distant person’. She had enjoyed working with the Academy pupils and, although the negative response from the pupils on her last visit was a surprise (to all the adults) as they did not see/understand their input, and there was not the time to fully discuss things, she did not feel that this had spoiled the project and did not want this episode to flavour the whole project. She did not view this as symptomatic of something major that had gone wrong. She knew (as an artist and a teacher) that the pupils had really enjoyed the workshop day and that their collages were ‘fantastic’ and this was ‘recognised by everyone’. On reflection she understood that the pupils’ expectations were for her to take their work – their ideas, sketches and designs and collate them in a physical form. It was also that they had almost forgotten the collage workshop by this time and were referring to their early work of model making that they had done in class at the beginning. Also, because of the timescale, they had may be ‘lost the sense of being a group’ as well as the practical problems of bringing them together for a reasonable length of time. She also thought that the ballot box and voting had set up expectations of there being a winning design, rather than (as discussed with the coordinator) it being a means of identifying the top three themes and that, in reality, all the themes would be represented within the work.79 Preconceptions of what an artist does – the need for discussion The artist realised that it would have been useful if the question she had asked right at the end of her last visit (What were the pupils expecting her to do as an artist?) could have been discussed for an entire session. She had made the assumption that they knew and, although she had made a presentation of her work when she first met them, there was no discussion about what they thought she was going to do. It would have been extremely valuable to have asked at the outset ‘What do you think an artist is?’ and ‘|What do you think my role here is?’ On reflection she thought that she should have treated them as a group who hadn’t worked with an artist before and had realised she needed to ‘start with the absolute basics.’80 The questions of a group’s anticipations and how the reality might differ from these were considered fundamental by the artist: it was an issue that was not restricted to simply young people. Adults could also have preconceptions about what artists do and while it was important to explain at the beginning how she as an artist works, this can be quite tricky because it is important not to appear ‘inflexible’ and ‘switch people off’ before work actually begins. External youth group’s impact on the aesthetic – subtle yet fundamental When the group came to see the final work at the RACH Event (28th March 2009) the artist had hoped that they would feel proud because they would be able to see something of their collages in it. Their input was very clear to her and the work would simply not have been made without their activity and help. Discussing the impact of the pupils’ work had had on her thinking, she described this as appearing quite slight and difficult to see for someone on the outside when, in fact, for her practice there had been ‘a fundamental shift’ (in relation to her portfolio). The collages by the pupils had had a big influence on the final artworks and she was able to use a lot of the group’s ideas in some form or another. She explained how she kept going back to the collages to ‘find those essential qualities’ and these had had a big effect on the aesthetics of the piece and this was not something she had predicted at all. It was more usual for people to give content, or they ‘might steer your ideas in a different way’. A key quality in the collages that she drew from included the ‘quite hasty hand cutting’ in the way they were put together. As a professional artist she felt that there was a danger of sometimes being too ‘precious and worried about the finish’ and therefore ‘what gets reduced is the energy’ which the collages contained. She described the relationship between artist working with other people as ‘a kind of exchange’ with the artist ‘absorbing that experience and reflecting it.’ Despite the relatively short time spent with the pupils, the influence of their work was ‘traceable’ and, interestingly, she thought that she would be able to use this RACH project in the future (e.g. interviews, presentations) to demonstrate ‘just how subtle consultancy can be’.81 The challenge of engaging young patients - two types of consultancy informing each other As well as affecting the aesthetic for the artworks in the Ward Entrance (the Lumiwall and the spaceman), she found the pupils’ involvement and input very important for her other project – the Treatment Rooms Case study 3(b). She was finding this project very challenging because of the aims – ‘to reduce fear basically in young patients when entering rooms where treatments are carried out’ and, as there was no external youth group in this project, the artist drew from the pupils’ input into the other project. The school pupils were thinking about what kind of art might work in a children’s hospital and this helped her in terms of acting as an imaginary audience for her to address (in her mind’s eye) and for ideas to gel. It also helped that the external group were already involved in art activities and this all seemed to help to relieve the pressure by not having to rely solely on engaging the young patients in the Treatment rooms. She was extremely aware of the vulnerability of these patients who were not in hospital to do art per se, and speaking with them at their bedsides for example, could be tricky. It could feel as though the artist was there ‘trying to pull something from them that they might not be really wanting to give, but yet the artist needs the information from them’. She also found that chatting with patients, developing relationships (albeit briefly) she learned about them, their family histories and troubles and this could get in the way because it ‘somehow affects memory even’. The Academy group doing art added a ‘fizz’ to the project. The combination of the two types of consultancy was useful and ‘very rich’, albeit a fluke in that it was not predicted at the outset. On reflection she thought it might have been good to have had the pupils in the hospital for a day to work on the Treatment Rooms project and ‘get a much bigger activity going on’ and be a ‘kind of roll on’ project, but she appreciated the practical difficulty of doing this. Comparing the two projects, the Ward Entrance and Treatment Rooms, the relatively uncluttered space surrounding the Ward Entrance made the work ‘very satisfying’ and she thought that the scale of the Lumiwall had made a dramatic difference, in a way that the artwork in the Treatment Rooms could not. She felt pleased with aesthetic quality achieved in the Ward Entrance and thought that the artworks would appeal to both children and adults. How workshops work, from the artist’s perspective Because of the difficulty some of the external youth groups were having in understanding their involvement, their role and the fact that adults, as well as young people, can have preconceptions of what artists do, the evaluator asked the artist to explain her practice in more detail. Discussing how workshops can help develop an artwork she described her use of workshop activities as ‘illuminating other aspects of the problem’ (the brief) where ‘in doing one thing another story emerges’ which is ‘usually more interesting and relevant to the participants.’ She always tried to have a workshop activity that was achievable by a group in one day and where they (hopefully) will feel good about what they have produced – but that what they produce was not always something that would be used directly in the artwork. Quite often it was through talking in the workshops, or participants selecting an image that might spark an idea or give a feel for the direction in which the artwork might go – the more ‘anecdotal side of research’. Quite often children at a certain age might not be able to articulate their ideas visually, but could talk about it and this ‘adds another dimension’ to the thinking. She described her process as doing ‘very broad research’ through workshops, then ‘sifting’ through this to ‘get to the real essence of something that you want to explore further’. Her process was not to ‘have an idea, find an image and make the final artwork’, it was ‘a much more intuitive, ridiculous, mad process.’ Be ambitious In terms of advice (to other artists/projects managers) the artist suggested to start with great ambition, as this will be reduced by practical compromise in any case, and not to expect to get away with anything when you are working with children as they are ‘tough critics and clients.’ 5.3.9 Summary of findings (Focus: 2.1) 1. The impact of the artist on the environment 2. The effectiveness of the creative consultation 3. The appropriateness of the artwork to the users, reflecting the diversity of age groups using the hospital.)
The involvement of the Academy pupils had considerable educational benefits for the pupils and for the teacher. The whole project was considered an example of ‘curriculum for excellence’. There was a point in the project where the pupils were a bit disappointed because they did not fully understand their involvement in the larger project. This was clear to the coordinator, the artist and the Teacher and is an important area for development i.e. managing expectations and developing strategies for introducing projects to youth groups. For example, what does ‘to inform mean’, the artist introducing the process and a thorough discussion at the outset to understand young people’s expectations(see Areas for Development below). The value and impact of the external youth group consultation was considerable and essential for the artist and the resulting artwork. There had been ‘a fundamental shift’ in her practice and the resulting aesthetic. Also, a second (additional) piece of artwork – the spaceman - had possibly come into being as a result of the last meeting with the pupils (as noted by the coordinator). An unforeseen benefit of the external group involvement for the artist was their influence in her second RACH project (Treatment Rooms, Case study 3(b), where both forms of consultancy helped inform the other. The department manager appreciated the necessity for staff involvement from the outset of the process and she (along with the other staff) had felt fully involved and that the level of communication by the coordinator had been excellent. However she wondered if (in future) the Art Group might manage the interviewing for the artist differently and thereby reducing the amount of the clinician’s time used for this stage. She thought that the department staff might have been more involved with the artist had this not been an especially busy time in the wards and thought that it had been appropriate and useful for the artist to work with the children in the play area with the support of the staff (a kind of base) along with going into the wards themselves. Product The technical hitch with the large scale light box (Lumiwall) affecting the security cameras (situated opposite) was not a major issue as the cameras could be easily moved. One of the ward sisters suggested it might be useful (in future) to trial things before installation. The patients, staff and the Art Group all really liked the final installation. It was ‘welcoming’, had a strong visual impact (the ‘wow factor’) and brightened up the whole area. It appealed to adults as well as children. For example, the play staff liked that there were two themes in the Lumiwall, each leading to a ward. The spaceman was a favorite for the children for being a little bit whacky and fun – waving to you as you arrive and waving to you as you leave. This quality of waving goodbye is very interesting, and emphasises that there are two aspects to consider - entrances as well as exits - and also to note that ‘welcoming’ does not necessarily mean upon arrival to an area, but ‘welcoming’ as a friendly place. The Lumiwall was a new technology for the artist and she was pleased with the result. As there was ample space for an installation she was able to produce something that was impactive. She stressed the importance for artists to be ambitious because there were always compromises for practical reasons, as well as demands on the artist from the ‘audience’, in this case, the children (tough critics). It was very important that the coordinator (and the Art Group) decided to host a RACH Event (28th March 2009) and to invite the external youth groups. This was an opportunity for the young people to see the final results for the first time and to give the project a sense of completion for the participants (as well as the artists and others). A few girls from the Academy came and, on seeing the final work, could see their influence and felt ‘proud’ to have been involved. Areas for development Working with external youth groups a) Managing expectations Developing strategies for introducing the project to youth groups e.g. what does ‘to inform’ mean, ways of dealing with preconceptions of what artists do – e.g. questions and discussion before the project (consultancy) starts.
The costs incurred by the external partner, practical limitations because of school timetables, The timescale of the project (pupils moving from S2 to S3) and the frequency of contact between pupils and artist (and distance of artist), More regular contact with the external partner throughout the relatively long time span of the project (e.g. between funding application and arrival of artist) Questions for the wider sector Preconceptions of what artists do Artists making their processes transparent (not usual) Introducing artists and processes when outcomes are unknown Details of how workshops actually work Case study 3(b) Treatment Rooms in Surgical and Medical and Day Case Unit 5.3.10 The brief The brief was to undertake work in four rooms across three units - Surgical and Medical (2nd floor) and also Day Case (1st floor). The aim was to ‘create distracting, appropriate and permanent artistic welcoming solutions’. 5.3.11 Summary of the consultation process The artist would consult with staff to be informed of the clinical practicalities, and consult with patients and parents and families ‘where appropriate’. It was also hoped that because the use of the spaces changed periodically, the artistic solutions might be ‘interchangeable between areas or could be easily altered by staff’. 5.3.12 Early stage: Hopes and anticipated challenges Staff perceived the rooms as ‘sterile and functional spaces.’ A key consideration was the medical equipment, which could be ‘intimidating for young people’. 5.3.13 Staff support and involvement Across the three departments the artist discussed with staff how the spaces were used and gained a feeling for their willingness to re-think and (possibly) ‘re-arrange them to make them better for the patents in some way’ and gained an understanding of the user/client groups - their commonalties and differences. 5.3.14 The artist’s process Medical and Surgical Wards The artist conducted 2.5 days of workshops with patients and carers -16 children and 6 carers (mums) - (15 – 17th January 2008). She returned for one day (11th March 2008) for staff consultancy and to show design ideas. The artist used the play area to conduct the workshops, and worked with the children at their bedsides, at all times working closely with the play staff. Activities involved setting up a tent in the play area that children could go into (with a wind-up torch). A large map of Scotland on which participants could write their names and talk about places they had lived and trace their ‘journey’ to the hospital. Using ‘favorite cards’ which children could fill in, giving information on favorite places, colours, songs, TV programmes etc. These cards were displayed on a large hanging net also in the play area. There were 24 ‘favorite’ cards and about 12 map locations. The artist found talking with the children easier on the wards because there were less distractions and they tended to be ‘bored and in need of some adult conversation’.
Work in the Day Case Unit (two workshops over three days, 29th- 31st January 2008) was a different experience for the artist, ‘a major factor’ being the absence of the play specialists. Also, at this time, the department was short staffed and there were fewer children around and they were more ‘in and out’ (compared with Surgical and Medical where there was the chance to develop relationships). It felt much more of ‘an adult zone’. The parents and children also seemed comparatively less aware of art in the hospital. The artist found some of the ‘best conversations’ were working with patients and their carers (16 people) at the bedsides and thought that the carers themselves (mainly female) would make excellent workshop participants because they tended to be very bored, although her focus was activities with the children. She found drawing was definitely not ‘sexy enough’ for young patients and filling in ‘favorites’ cards ‘had been a good fallback’ (collecting 26 cards). The coordinator showed staff members in the three areas the concept visuals on the artist’s behalf and then passed the feedback to the artist (October 2008). Final adjustments were made to the design ideas and approval was agreed by the Art Group. 5.3.15 Negotiating the end product Medical and Surgical Wards The patient and carer workshops gave the artist ideas about what they might want from artwork. No single key thing stood out, other than ‘the diversity of the group’. The themes she developed for the artwork were beach/seaside/underwater for Medical and sights you would see walking to the park for Surgical. Staff consultation on initial design ideas (on A3 boards) gave her clinical considerations (4-5 staff in Surgical and Medical and 7 staff in Day Case). A third set of visuals were viewed by the Art Group and approved. The completed artwork in the two Treatment Rooms (entitled ‘Tutti-Frutti’) was printed Perspex panels permanently fixed to walls and ceiling with hand painted dots on the walls. The effect was to create ‘safe visual zones’ (in a room very cluttered with equipment). There were also some very bright colourful plastic chairs beside the treatment beds. Day Case Unit The final artwork was printed Perspex panels and printed window blinds using the same ‘Tutti-Fruitti theme/concept as in Surgical and Medical. 82 5.3.16 Completion of the project: reflections on process and responses to final artwork Process and product Role of coordinator to mediate The coordinator commented that the three departments were extremely busy, but staff had read ‘everything as much as they could’. She felt that the support the artist received from staff was broadly positive and, when it came to viewing the visuals, some staff members had strong views and were not afraid to say when they liked or didn’t like something. She knew that at one point the artist had ‘struggled’ to take on board the views from the staff across the three areas and to incorporate them into the final artwork. When the artist felt that she had reached a point where she had gone far enough in terms of making changes to the design ideas, the coordinator fully supported her ‘sticking to her guns’, although she personally regretted that it had reached the point where the artist had to approach her on this matter i.e. asking for her support on this. 83 Developing the artwork that bit further (Treatment Rooms) On viewing the installation the artist felt that it was almost there but not quite - it was still missing something and she suggested the idea to use hand-painted dots to join up the ’safe visual zones’. The coordinator described this as ‘really one of those artist-to-artist discussions’ where they were both in ‘complete agreement’ that it had to happen – it had to be dots, and they had to be hand-painted. This work was carried out after the project was completed (i.e. contractually completed).84 The coordinator really enjoyed working with this artist and explained that it is only when an installation is in place that you can see whether there needs to be something more and this is when (and as a practitioner) you use a curatorial eye to appraise the work.85 The coordinator thought the final artwork was very well judged, describing the effect as ‘a little whacky, but also gentle’ it was ‘both calm and interesting at the same time’ and something which intrigues the viewer. She personally loved the final installation because, unlike some of the RACH commissions, it was not an interior design solution (which involves reorganising the space), but an actual art installation. Adding to the service – play staff The play staff member thought that the artist worked really well with the children in Surgical and Medical and assisted and worked closely with her. They explained before hand to the children what the artist was going to do – that ‘she wanted to work with them and to get their ideas on how to make the environment better, more child-friendly’. She noticed that some children who had been in the treatment rooms understood exactly what she was trying to do. She thought that some of the techniques the artist used were very good and thoroughly inclusive. The tent in the play area had made the activity ‘a little adventure’ and the net displaying all the filled-in ‘Favourites Cards’ enabled others to see what had been done and were good for children who didn’t want to draw. The use of maps enabled patients who came from quite far away (e.g. Orkney and Shetland) to speak about their journey to hospital. She had learned ‘tips’ on art techniques and had got ideas from the artist that would be useful to her in her day-to-day work and she thought it was very important to have ‘different people come and provide different activities’. Some of the children ‘got very excited’ and would ask play staff ‘what’s on today?’ She believed that, by involving the children so that they had their say, was important because it would benefit the hospital in the long term. She really enjoyed working with the artist and was pleased she could also include staff because ‘the artwork was for everybody’. A positive energy The ward sister (Surgical) thought that the artist spending time in the department ‘gave the place a positive energy’ and thought that the ‘kids really enjoyed someone new coming in’ to show and do different things with them. This was especially important for the long-term patients. Excellent communication and good relationship with the coordinator Both of the ward sisters (Surgical and Medical) were very happy with the level of communication with the coordinator. She had introduced herself very quickly and they felt that they had got to know her. The coordinator became ‘a very visible part of the team’ and with her office close-by always ‘left bits and pieces on the desk as to what was happening’. She introduced the artists to them and kept them fully updated. One of the sisters commented that keeping in touch by email was really good because it meant she ‘could take what she needed’. The ward sister (Surgical) really liked the concept visuals shown to her by the coordinator in her office (on behalf of the artist) in an informal meeting where the two of them discussed the ideas. She thought that a big challenge for the coordinator was getting department staff to look at things and getting their feedback and that she had worked really hard on this and done extremely well. Cooperative working Interestingly there had been an agreement between the two wards that they could use the other’s treatment room, if need be whilst the artwork was being installed – although in the end this wasn’t necessary. Dialogue with an artist The ward sister in Surgical had ‘really enjoyed’ the experience and was personally interested in art. She appreciated ‘being involved at every stage of the process’ – ‘selecting the artist, meeting artists and seeing their work. In the project she had particularly enjoyed the dialogue with the artist – the creative discussions and planning, hearing about the experience of an artist working with the children and the creative thinking coming out of that. She appreciated that she could approach the artist and be fully involved in this way. Artwork as professional and permanent Both ward sisters really appreciated that the artwork was a permanent installation. One of the sisters explained that, in the past, play staff had tried to make the rooms better for the children by putting various images on the walls, such as cut-out cartoon characters coloured-in by children and posters and this had been problematic. Now the artwork was fit for purpose, looked more polished and professional. Artwork – clinical value (welcoming, less threatening, distracting, reassuring, a better working environment) Play staff liked, and thought it important, that the themes used in the Ward Entrance carried through into the artworks in the Treatment Rooms. The Surgical Ward with the beach/seaside theme linked with ocean/underwater at the Ward Entrance and ‘Amazony’ linked with journeys in the Medical Ward. She thought both rooms were much less clinical looking and more welcoming. Interestingly she had added to, or continued the theme in Medical (where she was now working) by selecting children’s books and taking them into the Treatment Rooms. Yüklə 361,18 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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