Curator’s Tour
by Catherine Lamont-Robinson
As an artist and researcher committed to fostering creativity in medical education, it has been both a privilege and delight to curate the www.outofourheads.net website for over ten years.
As part of this OOOH!! innovation we aim to showcase current interests and issues across medical, academic and well-being communities with greater immediacy – highlighting new creative submissions, curating bespoke exhibitions to address imbalances and gaps and also link with social media platforms.
The students’ courage to grapple with fundamental questions throughout their training and express their vulnerability, humanity and authenticity through the arts never ceases to delight and inform my outlook.
Below are eight choices from the current collection which I feel honour the scope, depth of engagement and insights from our student contributions, and one selection from of our growing patient-artist archive.
Choice 1,
Happy Birthday Helen
Art Form: Poetry
Artist: Tom Fox
Tom embraced the opportunity to address the painful loss of his sister and then explored a wealth of sibling history through an imagined conversation – a moving and unforgettable read.
In his reflection Tom acknowledged the personal benefit of being given time and space within the curriculum to process these complex thoughts and emotions.
Choice 2,
A Patchwork of my Experiences
Art Form: Drawing
Artist: Carla John
Catherine’s comment:
Carla presents personal recollections of paediatric intensive care as member of the team. I find her decision to ensure that these pivotal, poignant memories are neither homogenized nor forgotten very touching.
In her reflection, Carla highlights the emotional challenges around maintaining clinical professionalism in critical care and proposes a progressive, supportive model which honours the complexity of holistic care – I sincerely hope she is given the opportunity to take these ideas forward.
Choice 3,
Snakes in the Heart
Art Form: Drawing
Artist: Martha Murdoch
Catherine’s comment:
Martha’s unique image depicts her initial response to onset diabetes as an embodied sense of betrayal. The hard-won process of beginning to trust her body once again is powerfully described.
It is heartening that Martha recognizes how this experience may help her to support patients going through similar feelings of disconnection when diagnosed with chronic disease.
Choice 4,
Can ‘curing’ do more harm than good?
Art Form: Drawing
Artist: Kirsty Kirkly
Catherine’s comment:
Kirsty’s creative enquiry responds to current issues around endemic stereotyping of the LGBT community and highlights the complex lived experience of individuals who challenge gender norms.
One of the upcoming OutofOurHeads exhibitions will feature a collection of collaborative Second-Year student artworks around Intersectionality from the 3D (Disability, Disadvantage and Diversity) curriculum theme across 2019/2020.
Choice 5,
infertility
Art Form: Film
Artist: Liam Carty-Howe
Catherine’s comment:
Liam was inspired by a particularly sensitively-handled consultation to explore the emotional, social and clinical aspects of infertility.
The spontaneous and imaginative use of multi-media to gather and present diverse perspectives around fertility enriches and enlivens this enquiry.
I feel this collaborative enterprise would make a welcome contribution to related public health initiatives – and raise both awareness and compassion in society in general.
Choice 6,
Abnormal
Art Form: Poetry
Artist: Amy Crees
Catherine’s comment:
Amy’s poetic encapsulation of a patient encounter in her GP Attachment combines multiple levels of acute observation.
These lines reveal a depth of compassion and wisdom, alongside clinical learning, which has stayed with me since my first reading – and presents an extraordinary example of holistic integration through the arts.
Choice 7,
Use your EQ not just your IQ
Art Form: Audio
Artist: Richard Oguguo Igwe
Catherine’s comment:
Mentally flipping from a male, medical student’s perspective to that of a young mother in emotional crisis, then converting observations and reflections into a rap (which I was fortunate to hear performed live) highlights the versatility, empathy and creative potential tapped within the Bristol’s educational electives.
Richard highlights the role of drawing simultaneously upon head and heart when confronting uncomfortable issues. This engaging imaginative interpretation continues to resonate throughout subsequent year groups.
Choice 8,
Surface Anatomy
Art Form: Mixed Media
Artists: Group 19
Catherine’s comment:
Building on shared anatomical fascinations, Freddie, Nydile and Amy developed an innovative digital ‘tool’ providing a visual bridge to patients’ understandings of their unique anatomy.
This collaborative enquiry was initially exhibited as part of the annual Foundations of Medicine Student Conference. When this concept was later informally presented to the general public, feedback suggested a potential practical role in healthcare consultations.
Choice 9,
A little bit broken…
Art Form: Painting
Artist: Adriana Ford
Catherine’s comment:
Adriana describes how a photograph of a damaged butterfly wing resonated with ‘the physical and emotional brokenness I have experienced through breast cancer. I wanted to try watercolour for this painting because of the delicate and fragile nature of both a butterfly and my emotional state.’
An artist participant in the Living Alone with Cancer Experience research project,
Adriana went on to develop an international website and curate exhibitions globally – sharing insights from women around breast cancer through diverse artforms.
Catherine Lamont-Robinson
Acknowledgement – the poetry, prose and audio creative pieces are accompanied by photographic images drawn from the global archive hosted by:
Unsplash ‘https://unsplash.com