Project draws on the past to explore the present
Date of release: 13 September 2024
Experiences of people recovering from mental health and addiction issues are being examined through an artistic perspective as part of a healthcare heritage project in Wolverhampton.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s Arts and Heritage Group has been working with city artist Charlotte Webb to explore what healthcare means to people today – while drawing on the past.
Members of Wolverhampton’s Service User Involvement Team (SUIT), have been sharing their personal stories of mental health and addiction, prompted and inspired by the Trust’s heritage collection of artefacts.
They have been reflecting on the importance of care for people’s whole health, as well as examining the stigma that is often associated with mental ill health and addiction issues as part of the Care Create, Conserve project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
As part of this work, medical artefacts dating back as far as 1840 are on display in the city's first Healthcare Heritage Centre, inside Central Library. This collection is being used as inspiration for discussion and creativity in SUIT workshops with Charlotte.
Charlotte said: “We are looking at whether attitudes have changed all that much over the years – treatment and recovery programmes may well have moved with the times but does this apply more broadly to people’s perceptions of healthcare for particular conditions and their perceptions of people living with these?
“Using the heritage collection as our starting point has helped prompt some fascinating discussions and I think all of us involved in this important project have gained some real insight into mental health and addiction issues.
“The project has also created an opportunity to explore the shared difficulties of conserving heritage and the care of people with mental and physical health conditions.”
At the end of this project, participants will produce a multi-media artwork, shaped and influenced by the community and people’s healthcare experiences.
Elinor Cole, Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator, added: “We’re really pleased this project is proving such a valuable way of gaining more insight into an important area of healthcare and encouraging discussion on past and present attitudes.
“We thank members of SUIT for their openness and their willingness to work on the project in this way. Arts and heritage within healthcare can be a powerful tool within our communities to help drive change and challenge viewpoints.
“We can’t wait to see the completed artwork that arises from this project.”
The Arts and Heritage group was established in 2020 and supported by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity.
