On a rather dreary day I decided to take a walk up to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
I wasn't ill, a bit sad maybe but that often happens at this time of year as December rolls around, work gets too busy and the pressure mounts to be buy presents and be present! So rather than sit around in the gloom I decided to head up for a look at the artwork currently on show in the Small Gallery by Donna E Briggs. I'd tuned into Donna's work after she participated in the CLAN Light The North project last year and have been an avid follower of her instagram feed ever since.
I have to admit the walk along the long corridor from the maternity end was more difficult than usual with certain area's taking me back to the start of the year when my grandad was admitted after suffering a stroke. Although sent home early he was back in a few months later for the start of what would be a difficult medical journey, so walking past the ward where he was crammed into a corner, 3 beds in a 2 bed room, well it's hard not to feel some resentment. Not directed at those assigned to look after him but certainly at the higher powers who've been slowly eroding the NHS for decades to bring its services into private hands. The Tories, I fucking hate the Tories and New Labour don't seem far behind them but to be honest I think all political parties are full of goons so fuck the lot of them!
Anyway, with my own checkered medical history I know first hand the mental impact stepping into the hospital can have and I've written often about the transformative work of Grampian Hospitals Art Trust. Even during those difficult visits this year a Toby Paterson print or a painting would catch my eye. So I was glad to make it to the end of the corridor and to take in the vast number of works by Donna. It did feel strange to be skulking around just along from the X-Ray department while busy medical staff, patients and visitors scurried past, engrossed in their own daily happenings. I started to wonder about the impact of art in these health care settings and if it has an impact on the average visitor. As I awkwardly sidled up to the piano for a closer look at some pieces I tried to gauge the mood of an older gentleman sitting nearby. I came to the conclusion that the art might not have an immediate, stop you in your tracks impact but certainly to sit and be surrounded by it is important, to soak it in via your peep holes in place of the garish hospital branding and maze like area colour coding can only be a good thing, even a healthy thing.
I compared it to the impact of street art and graffiti, the taking of space in the public realm through sanctioned projects and a desire to subvert or send a message. In fact I was delighted spot a piece from Donna, a collaboration with her daughter I think featuring a small boy and splotches on lumpy paint which she turned into a larger poster for the Nuart Aberdeen 'Stuck Up' project back in 2021. I thnk the piece is still up due to its covered location if you want to wander down to the underpass just down from Faffless and the back of M&S. For all those calling for Nuart to be run out of town it's nice to know we also have lots of friends like Donna both in Aberdeen and Stavanger!
And I did get a laugh too, after checking out Donna's website. There's been a big art news story concerning an upside down Mondrian painting which I'm actually going to see in a few days. It's spent some 75 years in the wrong position, the same can be said for one of Donna's collages, although its only been up since October but still time enough for an eagle eyed hack like me to spot it. The works employ a range of techniques from the traditional paper and scissors to hand stitching and digital manipulation but all with Donna's unique flare. Although my feelings of sadness weren't quite cured by this visit, even in sadness I managed to find something relatable, a little collage featuring the traditional Aberdeen place name letters spelling the word 'Scunnered'.
Some days just be like that but I'm glad that art, and Donna's art got me out of the house. Check out Collages until Friday 6th January!
