Dr Carina Westling, senior lecturer in cross-platform media at the University, recently announced the completion of Crucible, an oral history art project. She is also creative director for the Nimbus Group, which was commissioned to work on the installation in 2018.

The Crucible installation is part of the 3Ts redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which aims to transform this 19th century hospital into a spacious facility equipped to meet the demands of modern healthcare. The project name was chosen as the work reflects on hospitals as ‘crucibles’ for social change, through engaging with the history of hospital architecture, technology, professions, and practices in hospital care.

In addition to a mural, there is an interactive installation with oral histories from communities whose lives were touched by the hospital. Historical archive materials, accessible through mobile devices or display screens, are also featured. The project can be found on the ground floor of the hospital, due to open to the public in April.

Crucible is the result of extensive research and community consultations, supported by Heritage Lottery and Arts Council funding, to gather the oral histories and narratives. This was an essential part of the project to ensure that a range of voices and perspectives could be represented within the mural and interactive installation.

“To embed the process of developing Crucible in its historical and community context, we worked closely with multiple stakeholder groups, each of which required unique approaches,” said Dr Westling.

“We commissioned Strike A Light, for [its] considerable expertise in oral history-gathering, and artist Daniel Locke, for his exemplary work with diverse communities for art research. For digital development, we worked with Surface Impression, [which has] deep experience in design for the third sector. Our work with the local NHS trust was mediated by Anna Barnes, who also assisted us in the quite detailed heritage research we needed to incorporate.”

The challenge, Dr Westling explained, was to present the synthesis so that it “appeals to the broadest audience possible, at times when they might be facing all sorts of challenges”, adding that she hoped it would stand the test of time.

Locke has designed the mural as a life-size palindromic cartoon, which allows visitors to ‘travel through time’ when they walk the corridor between the main reception atrium and a Grade II listed chapel – the only part of the old hospital building dating back to 1828 that will be preserved. The remainder of the Barry Building, which is the oldest part of the hospital, is one of the oldest hospital buildings in the UK still in operation, but it will ultimately be demolished.

The 15-metre-long life-size mural depicts 200 years of the hospital’s history, including the experiences and stories of past staff, patients and people who interacted with the hospital in some way. An accompanying interactive kiosk provides more detail about the characters in the mural, which, it’s hoped, will resonate with visitors to the hospital.

To find out more about the project, visit https://thecrucible.org.uk/