Light blue... clouds parted: Celebrating our extraordinary staff

Cherelle was appointed by the GOSH Art Group and representatives of the REACH Network, who were closely involved in the development of this artwork.

GOSH staff from across the Trust were invited to participate in workshops or fill out an online questionnaire in which they reflected on their experience of working at GOSH, what was important to them during the pandemic, and other questions.

Staff were also invited to submit an image that either represented their journey of how they came to work at GOSH or which illustrated their experience of the pandemic. The generous responses from staff were wide and varied in both content and medium.

Cherelle then underwent the challenging process of creating a single artwork from everyone’s contributions. Her process as a collage artist was to scan, cut, reassemble, and create a new image from the ones provided.

At close inspection details of individuals’ photo and text contributions are revealed, albeit rearranged into new images and configurations.

However, stepping back to view the piece in its entirety unveils a unique artwork that embodies collective experiences as interpreted through the eye of the artist and the viewer.

The text that is interwoven throughout the piece are direct quotes from participants and the lively colour palette is representative of the joy and hope we can find in our collective action.

This artwork is part of a larger national project commissioned by the National Performance Advisory Group in Arts, Heritage and Design in Healthcare, which collectively recognises NHS workers extraordinary efforts during the Pandemic.

View the original photos from the contributors and learn more about Cherelle’s process.