Tales of the Surreal- stories from the Oral History Collection, Heathcote Hospital

Tales of the Surreal- stories from the Oral History Collection, Heathcote Hospital

Exhibition: 30 Nov- 19 January 2020
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday, 10.00am to 3.00pm
Saturday and Sunday, 12.00pm to 4.00pm
Closed on Mondays
https://www.heathcotewa.com/heathcote-select-2019

Address: Duncraig Rd, Applecross WA 6153,

Surrealism was a worldwide phenomenon when Heathcote opened in 1929 and I’ve always been interested in the connection between Surrealism and concepts of madness. When asked to make new work about the Heathcote Mental Health Reception Centre I took the opportunity to explore some of the strategies used by the Surrealists: collective ventures, poetry and the use of found objects in artworks.

As I read stories from past staff and patients, and listened to the oral histories that have been collected - I allowed the ones that resonated to come forward. These stories had something of the surreal about them, a startling relationship with a material (feathers, hair, bone), the erotic, or the unconscious. They suddenly made me identify with the patient or the staff member- to be in their body, to inhabit madness, and to work in a place that both contained and maintained madness.

This exhibition is part of the City of Melville Heathcote gallery TILT Programme.

With thanks to Kaylene Poon, the City of Melville Local History Centre staff and the many participants who contributed to this project.
Mannequins lent by Raffaella Basini and Barbara Richards (Old Values)
Dress designed by Jo Darbyshire and made by Nicole Marrington based on original Heathcote nurses uniform
Catalogue essay written by Josephine Wilson