Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine
ISSN: 1745-3054 (Print) 1745-3062 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ijau20
A journey through mental health Jessica Merrell To cite this article: Jessica Merrell (2016) A journey through mental health, Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, 39:3-4, 150-154, DOI: 10.1080/17453054.2016.1246943 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17453054.2016.1246943
Published online: 31 Oct 2016.
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Date: 16 August 2017, At: 22:39
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE, 2016 VOL. 39, NO. 3-4, 150–154 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17453054.2016.1246943
ALTERNATIVE GALLERY
A journey through mental health Jessica Merrell
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
Morriston Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Cefn Coed is a psychiatric hospital in Swansea run by the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (AMBU) Health Board. It was built in 1929 primarily for adult and geriatric mental health care but also gave support to those affected by substance abuse. More recently, it has been a hospital for the elderly suffering with dementia and requiring inpatient care. In 2012, it was decided that the Victorian style structure of the hospital was no longer fit for purpose and new modern facilities were needed. The site has since been sold and will be demolished for housing to be erected in its place. This was devastating for both staff and patients and despite efforts to stop the sale, little by little, the wards started closing down and patients relocated. The impending demolition sparked an interest with the AMBU heritage team after they found numerous historical items in the basement, including a wicker trolley dating back to the First World War. The team have been busy gathering artefacts, documents, pictures and recording people’s stories for an exhibition in partnership with Swansea Museum in order to preserve the memory of the hospital. It was at this point they enlisted the help of the Medical Illustration department at Morriston Hospital in Swansea to photograph the site. The brief of the project was to photograph the buildings in a documentary style as they stood. As the photographer chosen to take on the project, I was given access to the abandoned wards, locked rooms and behind the scenes areas that remained as they were the day the facility closed. It was requested that whole areas were photographed inside and out in order to portray the beauty of this historic site, the way the water tower stands proudly at the top of the hill overlooking Swansea, the classic Victorian style chequered floors of the corridors and
CONTACT Jessica Merrell Ireland
[email protected]
ß 2016 The Institute of Medical Illustrators
the various rooms that housed many different therapy activities over the years. It was also requested that the intricate details of the buildings were captured, the small detail that may not be considered so pretty but do show the demise of the once great building, such as the paint peeling off the walls, the graffiti, the cigarette butts and the abandoned chairs in the courtyards. The kitchen, the laundry and the patient shop were all still functioning at the time of photography and we were given access to these before they stopped functioning. While walking around the hospital through the deserted corridors and rooms I was filled with a great sadness that the place that had helped and been home to so many people over the years was soon to disappear. The history of the building and the great architecture was emotive, especially when entering wards that still had patients’ possessions visible. On one dementia ward, there was a lone walking stick on the floor among abandoned chairs, along with one sock and some china ornaments that had been left there when the patients were moved. With the photography, I wanted to capture the atmosphere deciding to use the available light and focusing on the effect created by it. The project aim, ultimately, was to illustrate the interior of an often undisclosed world of mental health, seldom seen by outsiders, while preserving the memory of the buildings. The photographs are displayed in such a way which represents looking through a key hole. The project is ongoing with no set dates for demolition; however, it is still a race against time, as every visit more areas are closed off with access denied. It is our hope that it will all be documented prior to demolition so that the memory of Cefn Coed can live on through these images.
Morriston Hospital, Swansea, SA6 6NL United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE 151
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
152 ALTERNATIVE GALLERY
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE 153
154
ALTERNATIVE GALLERY
Acknowledgements
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
All historic and future plans information of the site gained from Martin Thomas (Heritage Lead) and Rebecca Kelly (ABMU heritage team).
ISSN: 1745-3054 (Print) 1745-3062 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ijau20
A journey through mental health Jessica Merrell To cite this article: Jessica Merrell (2016) A journey through mental health, Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, 39:3-4, 150-154, DOI: 10.1080/17453054.2016.1246943 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17453054.2016.1246943
Published online: 31 Oct 2016.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 19
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ijau20 Download by: [Australian Catholic University]
Date: 16 August 2017, At: 22:39
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE, 2016 VOL. 39, NO. 3-4, 150–154 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17453054.2016.1246943
ALTERNATIVE GALLERY
A journey through mental health Jessica Merrell
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
Morriston Hospital, Swansea, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Cefn Coed is a psychiatric hospital in Swansea run by the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (AMBU) Health Board. It was built in 1929 primarily for adult and geriatric mental health care but also gave support to those affected by substance abuse. More recently, it has been a hospital for the elderly suffering with dementia and requiring inpatient care. In 2012, it was decided that the Victorian style structure of the hospital was no longer fit for purpose and new modern facilities were needed. The site has since been sold and will be demolished for housing to be erected in its place. This was devastating for both staff and patients and despite efforts to stop the sale, little by little, the wards started closing down and patients relocated. The impending demolition sparked an interest with the AMBU heritage team after they found numerous historical items in the basement, including a wicker trolley dating back to the First World War. The team have been busy gathering artefacts, documents, pictures and recording people’s stories for an exhibition in partnership with Swansea Museum in order to preserve the memory of the hospital. It was at this point they enlisted the help of the Medical Illustration department at Morriston Hospital in Swansea to photograph the site. The brief of the project was to photograph the buildings in a documentary style as they stood. As the photographer chosen to take on the project, I was given access to the abandoned wards, locked rooms and behind the scenes areas that remained as they were the day the facility closed. It was requested that whole areas were photographed inside and out in order to portray the beauty of this historic site, the way the water tower stands proudly at the top of the hill overlooking Swansea, the classic Victorian style chequered floors of the corridors and
CONTACT Jessica Merrell Ireland
[email protected]
ß 2016 The Institute of Medical Illustrators
the various rooms that housed many different therapy activities over the years. It was also requested that the intricate details of the buildings were captured, the small detail that may not be considered so pretty but do show the demise of the once great building, such as the paint peeling off the walls, the graffiti, the cigarette butts and the abandoned chairs in the courtyards. The kitchen, the laundry and the patient shop were all still functioning at the time of photography and we were given access to these before they stopped functioning. While walking around the hospital through the deserted corridors and rooms I was filled with a great sadness that the place that had helped and been home to so many people over the years was soon to disappear. The history of the building and the great architecture was emotive, especially when entering wards that still had patients’ possessions visible. On one dementia ward, there was a lone walking stick on the floor among abandoned chairs, along with one sock and some china ornaments that had been left there when the patients were moved. With the photography, I wanted to capture the atmosphere deciding to use the available light and focusing on the effect created by it. The project aim, ultimately, was to illustrate the interior of an often undisclosed world of mental health, seldom seen by outsiders, while preserving the memory of the buildings. The photographs are displayed in such a way which represents looking through a key hole. The project is ongoing with no set dates for demolition; however, it is still a race against time, as every visit more areas are closed off with access denied. It is our hope that it will all be documented prior to demolition so that the memory of Cefn Coed can live on through these images.
Morriston Hospital, Swansea, SA6 6NL United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE 151
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
152 ALTERNATIVE GALLERY
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE 153
154
ALTERNATIVE GALLERY
Acknowledgements
Downloaded by [Australian Catholic University] at 22:39 16 August 2017
All historic and future plans information of the site gained from Martin Thomas (Heritage Lead) and Rebecca Kelly (ABMU heritage team).
