Context
Rhythms & Remedies at Patrick Heide Contemporary Art
Fay Ballard
The Healing Arts
The Arts project at Chelsea and Westminster hospital
The last dance
Hong Kong drama film directed and written by Anselm Chan
Rhythms & Remedies
Patrick Heide Contemporary Art
Fay Ballard (b. 1957 UK), Dillwyn Smith (b. 1958, UK) and Károly Keserü (b. 1962, Hungary)
Rhythms & Remedies is a group show that gather Fay Ballard, Dillwyn Smith and Károly Keserü’s works in the Patrick Heide Contemporary Art in London. I went to this exhibition especially for visiting Fay Ballard’s drawing. Before the visiting, I reviewed Ballard’s website to familiarize myself with her three major bodies of work, they are Plants, Autobiography and Circles. There were several points which touched me in her practices such as memory box serious works and circles that made me feel clam and peaceful.
It was an enjoyable viewing since her inspiration of works came from parents’ death, which is I can feel the situation. The circumstances of losing someone who is the most closet not only literally for physical disappearance but also mentally frustrated. I felt I was knowing and understanding an artist’s story by her drawing and could experience the emotion about missing and memory. This is because grief is the main idea in my research project as well. I mend myself with making prints and sewing on them. I am considering how I develop the initial idea and healing past and losing at the moment. As a result, Ballard’s works are very supported and strongly helpful for me to keep going.
The Healing Arts
The Arts project at Chelsea and Westminster hospital
Chelsea and Westminster hospital runs art project to integrate visual and performing arts into healthcare setting and create hospital arts collections. The Healing Arts is a book that collects essays of the hospital delves into arts from installation of drawing and sculpture and organizing art residency. ‘Art goes above and beyond, and instead becomes a tool for healing.’ (The Healing Art: The Arts project at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, 2019, p 7) Chelsea and Westminster hospital is curated as if it were a gallery, museum or local community to reduce patients’ anxiety, provide whoever’s mental health and create clam and healing environments.
In the one of all essaies, which was named Art at the Heart of Healthcare was taken over by photographic residency Lewis Khan in 2016- 17. Khan took a photo of lots of ink on the ground from a patient’s walking stick that attracted my eyes. It is simply point out an idea of diseases, injury and recovering process. With visual art, the programme helps to build a friendly environment for patients, stuffs and visitors.
There are several reasons that I am interested in this programme. First of all, it is related to the repairing idea in my research project. My prints were inspired by previous grief experiences and memory, which I do visible mending on them just like sort of trauma. On the other hand, I learnt about related artist Fay Ballard and she did some collaborations with NHS and Imperial Health Committee. With the events, she provides very valuable developments of her own works. I feel like that these gave me a hint about thinking how I could apply my project to different societies. The most important thing is that I booked twice per week appointments with burn unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to take care of my burn injury on the hand from an unexpected accident.
I would like to consider my research project connecting with local community and how I could collaborate with it.
The Healing Arts: The Arts Project at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (2019) London: Unicorn, an imprint of Unicorn Publishing Group LLP
The last dance
Hong Kong drama film directed and written by Anselm Chan
The Last Dance is a film which describes a relationship between a lady and her father. During the traditional funeral ritual, she suddenly understood that her father’s love goes deep into everyday and he is very shy to express or speak out. The film uses a narrative to show the intimate love between families and the members try to express love in their own way. It apso talks about losing someone who affects family members deeply.
I am attracted by the father in the movie since my father was in a similar personality that did not use to speak out of love. He preferred to show his love to me as an indirect and hummer way such as jogging or talking with a funny tone. What can see his intension clearly is his behavior, he tended to take care of me by bringing good food when I was sick, driving me to see good view when I felt upset, encouraging with supported talk. This film reminded me lots of memories about my dad and asked me to keep optimistic with every frustrating accident just like dad said wherever I am our home will be always there as a safe space for me.
This reference makes me think again and again of my family and love I get from them especially their expression of showing love. I found families tend to support each other directly by active behavior and seldom say it. As a result, we used to have non-verbal communication such as eye contact to feel others and being on site. I could gather more inspiration from the video and push researching and exploring intimacy.