Reclaiming Asylum at Bethlem Gallery

I'm proud to be exhibiting a specially made piece at Bethlem Gallery as part of their Reclaiming Asylum Exhibition. It runs in tandem with the Bedlam exhibtion at the Wellcome Collection. It is on until 11th November and questions what constitutes refuge, sanctuary and protection today. 




My piece is a pillow used in the Bethlem Hospital, embroidered with my experiences of being sectioned at Bethlem.  I wanted to pay tribute to the many sleepless nights and troubled heads that will have lain on this pillow. I have included lyrics and poems which I would repeat to myself in hospital when I could not sleep. I have a complex relationship with sleep; when I am manic I cannot sleep, but when I am depressed I can sleep for many hours a day. Bed is both a refuge and a trap.




I was also pleased to write a blog piece for the Wellcome series, a Drop in the Ocean about my process of developing the work. You can read it here

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