1. The Nurse sat with me silently The Nurse sat with me silently, Gallery Installation material, mannequin, horse hair Dress made by Nicole Marrington, based on design by Jo Darbyshire and original nurses uniform from Heathcote Hospital Photo Daniel Grant

2. Detail Detail The Nurse Photo Daniel Grant

3. Manly strength Manly Strength installation Vintage mannequin, horse hair, Dugite snake skin Photo Daniel Grant

4. Detail Detail Manly Strength Photo Daniel Grant

5. Manly strength, detail Manly Strength, detail Vintage mannequin, horse hair, Dugite snake skin Photo Eva Fernandez

6. in situ The Owl and the Pussycat painting and Manly Strength photo by Daniel Grant

7. The Owl and the Pussycat The Owl and the Pussycat 2019 oil on canvas, 120 cm W x 150 cm H

8. Light as a feather Light as a feather installation Thousands of 'found' feathers contributed by 100 people around Australia, installed in solitary confinement room, Heathcote Gallery photo Daniel Grant

9. Detail Detail of Light as a Feather Photo Daniel Grant

10. Text Detail Text Detail for Light as a feather room Photo Daniel Grant

11. Tails Nightmares 2019 Found mattress with horsetails, 180 cm H x 140 cm W photo Daniel Grant

12. Text detail Detail Nightmares 2019 and text photo Daniel Grant

13. The Nurse The Nurse Liked kittens 2019 Metal and glass frame, horsehair, found Victorian print collage, Emu feather 29cm W x 39cm H acquired for the City of Melville Collection

14. Detail Detail My Little Pony Photo Eva Fernandez

15. My Little Pony My Little Pony and text Found vintage nurse doll and Little Pony toy photo Daniel Grant

16. Detail Detail My Little Pony Install in gallery photo Daniel Grant

17. Mirrors Three black mirrors, Make-up room photo Eva Fernandez

18. Make-up room Install shot of Make-up room which contained three black mirrors, three make-up artworks and text relating to Friends of Heathcote photo Daniel Grant

19. Make up Three small circular artworks made with 'found' makeup photo by Daniel Grant

20. Bone artworks Bone artworks made by Robert Withnell in 1967-8 at Heathcote hospital as part of Occupational Therapy classes Items from the Melville Local History Collection Photo Daniel Grant

21. Make up room Make Up Room photo Daniel Grant

22. Keep yourself decent Keep Yourself Decent, 2019 oil on canvas, 122 cm W x 91 cm H

23. ECT Nurse ECT Nurse 2019 oil on canvas, 122cm W x 91 cm H

24. My Body in This Space My Body in This space 2019 Oil on canvas, 118 cm W x 89 cm H sold

25. My Body My Body in This Space, 2019 Oil on canvas, 118 cm W x 89 cm H photo Daniel Grant

26. Museum Museum of Religious pain room installation of found Holy card prints and texts photo Daniel Grant

27. detail detail of Holy card text photo Daniel Grant

28. The Nurse The Nurse sat with me silently, catalogue photo material, mannequin, horse hair Dress made by Nicole Marrington, based on design by Jo Darbyshire and original nurses uniform from Heathcote Hospital Photo Eva Fernandez

29. Poem Poem photo Eva Fernandez

30. Tilt 2019 artist Jo Darbyshire with mannequin 30.11.2019 photo Daniel Grant

Tales of the Surreal- stories from the Oral History Collection, Heathcote Hospital

Tales of the Surreal- stories from the Oral History Collection, Heathcote Hospital

Opening: 29 November 2019 6-8pm
Exhibition: 30 Nov- 19 January 2020

While the exhibition goes until 19 January 2020 it will be shut over Christmas-
Final day open Fri 20 Dec - open again Tues 7 Jan...
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday, 10.00am to 3.00pm
Saturday and Sunday, 12.00pm to 4.00pm
Closed on Mondays
https://www.heathcotewa.com/heathcote-select-2019

Address: Duncraig Rd, Applecross WA 6153,

Surrealism was a worldwide phenomenon when Heathcote opened in 1929 and I’ve always been interested in the connection between Surrealism and concepts of madness. When asked to make new work about the Heathcote Mental Health Reception Centre I took the opportunity to explore some of the strategies used by the Surrealists: collective ventures, poetry and the use of found objects in artworks.

As I read stories from past staff and patients, and listened to the oral histories that have been collected - I allowed the ones that resonated to come forward. These stories had something of the surreal about them, a startling relationship with a material (feathers, hair, bone), the erotic, or the unconscious. They suddenly made me identify with the patient or the staff member- to be in their body, to inhabit madness, and to work in a place that both contained and maintained madness.

This exhibition is part of the City of Melville Heathcote gallery TILT Programme.

With thanks to Kaylene Poon, the City of Melville Local History Centre staff and the many participants who contributed to this project.
Mannequins lent by Raffaella Basini and Barbara Richards (Old Values)
Dress designed by Jo Darbyshire and made by Nicole Marrington based on original Heathcote nurses uniform
Catalogue essay written by Josephine Wilson