With access to the NHS Grampian Archives, I was intrigued by the subtle, everyday aspects recorded in the collection. Archives, in themselves, are compelling, particularly in observing the choices made about what deserves preservation.

The Sunlight Room image sits curiously within the archive. The image is from the annual report of the Children's Hospital in 1930 and it shows patients receiving UV light therapy, the image has an advanced and constructed feel. The stances of the staff and equipment appear very futuristic and this creates a juxtaposition within the archival context. When making this print, I combined screenprint with gold foiling. The gold foiling allows the print to catch the light of the room around it, allowing a link between this archival image and its new state.

The same techniques of gold foiling were used when creating The Mothers Sitting Room and Phones However, the images capture a softer, more unassuming side of the archive. These quieter, more modest images hold a subtle importance within the collection.

To create The Mother’s Sitting Room print, I combined an adapted version of the border from one of the hospital's annual reports, alongside a chair from an image labelled as the mother’s sitting room. The image showed a small room with armchairs clustered together. This quiet, unassuming image depicted a delicate nurturing space, recorded and tucked away within the rest of the collection. Working from this, the final print combines screenprint, gold foiling and flocking. The flocked surface of the armchair allows a soft, tactile element to the print, articulating the gentleness of the original image.

This exhibition allowed images from the NHS Grampian Archive to resurface and be shown and appreciated in a new context. It was lovely to see how everyone involved in this exhibition worked from the archives in different ways.

Sunlight Room
Screenprint with gold foiling
58.7 cm (diameter)