Gaza’s healthcare system has been systematically dismantled, placing doctors and other healthcare workers under extreme psychological and physical strain. This piece seeks to capture the emotional and human cost of working within a healthcare system under such immense pressure.

Papier-mache was chosen as the medium, with a near life-size figure representing healthcare workers collectively. Its monochrome appearance and absence of identifiable facial features remove individual identity, symbolising the dehumanisation experienced by healthcare professionals working in appalling conditions. Rather than depicting a specific individual, the figure becomes representative of the wider healthcare workforce.

The figure’s slumped posture conveys exhaustion and emotional burden. One hand rests against the chest, beneath and supporting the heart, suggesting an attempt to hold together or protect the part of oneself that is being gradually depleted through the act of caring for others. This gesture reflects the emotional weight carried by healthcare workers who continue to treat others despite their own suffering and exhaustion.

A relentless stream of red yarn emerges from the chest and spills across the figure and onto the floor. The yarn represents compassion, emotional labour and the gradual giving away of oneself through care. As it accumulates and becomes tangled around the figure, it also reflects the overwhelming demands placed upon healthcare workers and their diminishing capacity to provide care in a collapsing system.