a box of....
Mill View Hospital - 2014
A Box Of....is the title of a permanent exhibition on Caburn Ward at Mill View Hospital in Hove. It was funded by the Friends of Brighton and Hove Hospitals. It was led by artist Annis Joslin with Yvonne J Foster and co-ordinated by Heather Barford, art therapist.
A Box of …. workshops were inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell (1903–1972), an American artist and one of the pioneers of ‘assemblage’ - an artistic process of making two or three-dimensional compositions by putting together found objects. Often know as “the box artist” Cornell’s work combined objects and materials he had collected over years that he found in flea markets, thrift stores or just washed up on the beach.
The project started with workshops on the ward involving service users and staff. These included looking at the space and discussing the kind of art work people would like to see on the ward. The workshops also encouraged participants to start making their own art works. The main part of the project then took place off the ward with a group of women who have accessed the inpatient services in the past. The group were asked to think about “What makes you feel positive and strong” to create their own boxes from a range of found objects and materials. Some of the boxes were also made collaboratively with contributions from the whole group. Participants brought in many of their own personal, significant, potent and sometimes precious objects to make use of in their art work. Over one hundred ‘boxes’ were made and the group worked together to curate the final exhibition. |