Artworks created by Illustration and Visual Communications BA students Mely Itzae Montemayor Ayala and Fabrice Jaslet and Photography MA graduate Christian Jago have been installed in the Research and Development Department at Northwick Park Hospital which neighbours the University of Westminster’s Harrow Campus.
The Research and Development Department invited proposals from Westminster Visual Arts students to enliven the walls of a corridor, conference room and patient waiting area. The students’ works are creating a positive and welcoming atmosphere that aims to improve the wellbeing of all those working and visiting the Department.
The arts have been shown to have considerable potential to aid the healing of patients. Welcoming spaces with softer lighting, gardens and artwork help patients heal quicker and staff perform better. Visual representations of natural landscapes can decrease the length of hospital stays, encourage pain tolerance, and alleviate anxiety.
The Research and Development Department oversees clinical trials and medical research and is situated on seventh floor of Northwick Park Hospital. The Department is used primarily by medical professionals, students and clinical researchers but is also visited by patients and their families.
Christian Jago, Photography MA graduate, said: "I feel incredibly honoured to be a part of this brilliant initiative. Art has always been a source of refuge for my own health and wellbeing, and creating this work helped me significantly during the pandemic. I hope my images can bring the same positive experience to patients and staff at the hospital.
"My photographs are taken from my Master's project, ‘Beyond the Mists’. For this work, I constructed a fantastical world inspired by memories with my grandparents, the landscape of South-West Ireland, and tales from Celtic mythology. Each image depicts a peaceful, magical space where the imagination is encouraged to connect with the natural world."
Mely Itzae Montemayor Ayala, Illustration and Visual Communications BA student, said: "I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful project. From a young age, art and design have been a tool for me to express and heal myself, and being able to help others with my work is a great honour.
"My illustrations displayed at Northwick Park Hospital are part of a personal project which is a series of landscapes that I am working on. Through this imagery, I aim to depict a calm and serene atmosphere, whilst creating something that is captivating for the viewers."
Emma Dodson, Senior Lecturer at Westminster’s School of Media and Communication, said: "It has been a pleasure to facilitate this project. I was initially approached by Sunder Chita, Health Service Research Manager at Northwest London Hospitals NHS Trust, because she had been impressed by other works created by Westminster students on display in St Marks Hospital.
"Asking students to create artwork that allows glimpses of the natural world into the healthcare setting never fails to uplift and inspire those who encounter it. It is great to be able to help more student artists connect with such an appreciative audience."
Learn more about the Illustration and Visual Communications BA course.
