Hospital Rooms has been bringing world-class contemporary art into NHS mental healthcare units since 2016. Today, we focus on their most ambitious work to date at Hellesdon Hospital, part of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. This project embodies both successes and challenges – from the triumph of commissioning fifteen incredible artists to create site-specific works, to the complex realities of working within a healthcare setting that has faced its own struggles in recent years. Joining me are three remarkable individuals who have been integral to the transformation of the Hellesdon spaces: Ken Nwadiogbu, a multidisciplinary artist from Lagos whose journey from civil engineering to fine art has led him to this transformative project, alongside the artist Sarah Dwyer who places drawing at the heart of her practice. We are also joined by Dr. Sophie Bagge, the Lived Experience Lead at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, who brings invaluable perspective as someone with personal and professional insights. Throughout this episode, you'll hear a sound composition by Mark Jennings titled Wards Extended, 2025 - created from recordings made in two psychiatric facilities – one abandoned and awaiting demolition, the other newly built and preparing to open.

Shape, Shift, an exhibition of artworks from this project opens at The Fitzrovia Chapel in London, from March 13-25, 2025.

This episode was supported by Hospital Rooms.

Executive Produced and hosted by Lou Mensah

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Music King Henry IV original composition for Shade Podcast by Brian Jackson

Edit & Mix by Tess Davidson

Podcast design Joel Antoine-Wilkinson

Bi-monthly art magazine Shade Art Review

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