14 hours Ago
A new project celebrating 35 years of art at Dorset County Hospital will bring the art straight to art lovers with a collection of stories and sounds that can be listened to via a mobile phone. The project, called A Sense of Place is being spearheaded by artists Sharon Hayden and Alastair Nisbet from ScreenPLAY, a Dorset-based art organisation. They have been to beaches, summer fetes, the top of the Cerne Giant at dawn on Mayday, and even a farmyard to find stories that enhance the experience and give context and insights into the artwork.
A screengrab of the app in use for the image 'My Big Nurse' at Dorset County Hospital (Image: Supplied) Sharon Hayden said: “Our aim is to give context and insights into the artwork. We ask a leading portrait photographer why he wanted to take pictures of huge oak trees in the dark, we listen to the sea during a storm at Portland Bill, and we tell the stories behind the hospital’s Wall of Words.” The project features 22 artworks from the hospital's permanent collection and each has a new exhibit label with its own QR code linking to the story about that piece, plus a link to the full app.
There is also a set of three free art postcards with the QR code link. This also includes a link to the Arts in Hospital website, a charitable organisation based at Dorset County Hospital to enhance the healing environment and raise patients' spirits, which has partnered with ScreenPLAY for the project. A Walk with a Bull: Jonathan Delafield Cook’s drawing of a Dorset bull is featured on one of the project postcards (Image: Supplied) Sharon added: “A volunteer organiser working with us described A Sense of Place as ‘a gift for patients,’ something they can listen to in hospital and ‘revisit when they continue their healing at home.
"But it’s more than that. This collection of stories is a gift for everybody - patients, staff, visitors and the wider population who would like to experience the art in an enhanced way.” The app has been designed to be easy to use so anybody with a smart phone or tablet can access it.
“If you have ever listened to a podcast or BBC Sounds, you will find it very familiar,” said Alastair Nisbet. “Users simply click to play and click to pause or move forwards and backwards using +15 and -15 second buttons. "We’d like to say a huge thank you to the patients, staff, volunteers and wider public who have contributed to this project, and to partners, Arts in Hospital and the Dorset County Hospital Charity and to funders, Dorset Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund who made it possible.
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