The Nurses’ Home

Aims

The aim of the project was to create a piece of work that would place itself somewhere between archive and memory, to not only document the space, but also to capture a sense of the lives lived within it.

Methods

The artist, Michael Durand developed his approach through conversations and consultations with the commissioners and staff of the Mater Hospital.

It was apparent that this iconic building, and the memories contained within it were significant to the history of the hospital and it was important that these were recorded before it was too late.

The work in part grew out of the large photographic archive of images, of the staff, nurses and trainee nurses, made in and around the building over the past five decades.  These historical images were photographed and then projected back into the space and re-recorded creating a kind of memory loop of an image within an image.

Documentation and Dissemination

The final body of work was presented as a wall hung exhibition in the link corridor of the Mater Hospital, which opened on the first day of the demolition of the Nurse’s Home.

The exhibition was reviewed in the national press and was well received by visitors to and staff of the hospital, creating a dialogue around memories of the space.

The work was also produced as a numbered and signed edition book of 500 copies, which was distributed to staff, arts organisations and public and private libraries.