On the programme tonight,
When you visit a hospital do you feel the need to step into a small sanctuary? Perhaps one in a fetching turquoise colour that's the size of a small Tardis? An American artist, UK resident now, has made such a thing and called it "Artnaos". More about the name at 5 and why you might want to tell Artnaos all about your worries with Nigel Wrench who's been to see it in Birmingham. In the meantime, here's the artist, her creation and some of those worries.
Artist Sally Sheinman and the Artnaos portable sanctuary in the reception area of Birmingham Women's Hospital.
Worries posted by hospital visitors on the outside of the Artnaos pod.
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Oh, I'm really not sure about all this mumbo stuff you know.
I've just taken a look at her blog as well :-
I'm sure all the Froggers will think I'm rude and insensitive - but there are surely more constructive things that can be done - especially in Hospitals at the moment? - What about something to encourage people to use the alcohol disinfectant dispensers.
I think we should post one up for Eddie:
"Worried about spongy keyboard and ongoing caffeine addiction - How will I get all my work done?"
Hmmm... Given the hospitals I know, I would rather the limited space they have be used to increase treatment areas. Having visited a local hospital for 3 moths for psoriasis treatment, I got to know the hospital very well. They are crying out for space to treat people first and foremost. Spend the money on new treatments/equipment/infrastructure. If they want to improve the areas that the patients wait in, then good, but this seems to be a "let's be cool & trendy", an affliction that seems to strike organisations too much nowadays. Get the primary function of an organisation sorted out first before spending money on extras like this...
Utter nonsense! This ego-stroking flummery has no place taking up space in a hospital.
Oh, that's annoyed me.
I think it is a rather nice idea actually - sorry to go against the grain. Having an anonymous place to vent worries and fears, without being patronised or dismissed, is rather important in illness as I am finding. I also have a soft spot for artistic endeavours where it is the community themselves who create the art.
On the flip side, it could well be depressing to walk into a box surrounded by people's negative emotions. Could the box also be used for hopes and positive emotions?
eta: Oh that so wasn't malicious.
Belinda, I agree that a place to "mouth off" or leave an anonymous winge is a great idea but I'm sure that it could probably be done using less space. (and for less money than an Art installation) A small post box, perhaps next to the metal ash tray boxes on the outer walls of hospitals. No that would cause a fre risk!
Ok Belinda, - Have you made a wish :-
On her basic website I couldn't help noticing the contact and (sales) e-mail address?
As an artist she needs to make a living but I do hope that no NHS money will be diverted to this 'Tardis'
eddie just re-read. ARe you not forgetting something. A tardis is not small It just looks small. Almost everyone who has ever set foot in a tardis has said. "its bigger on the inside"! Oh I am being pedantic today!
Re: Eddie and his computer.
I found it astounding that in a 'state of the art' studio at BH last week, it took 25 minutes to download some necessary audio material in to a computer last week before a session could commence. This would have taken 20 seconds in the analogue days, known as laceing up a tape machine.
Then, later, due to another system crashing (called Sadie) a producer had lost 2 hours work he'd previously done as all the edits had gone.
Finally - a large whiteboard had scrawl from a maintenance engineer apologising for 'splats' on colleagues recordings, and explaining that a hard drive on a computer was too fragmented!
Err - It's the ´óÏó´«Ã½ - It's what they do!
Eddie, re When you visit a hospital do you feel the need to step into a small sanctuary? Perhaps one in a fetching turquoise colour that's the size of a small Tardis?
How do you know about the size of a "small TARDIS" then? And how does it differ from any other sized TARDIS? Surely, as a "Relative Dimension" it has no fixed size?
Perhaps you should put something about your tendency to think you know everything on a post it on the artist's wall? ;-)
And so should I -- I never watch Dr Who...
I see you're thinking about the craziness of heating up the air outside.*
When I was in Stockholm in October a couple years ago, the sun was shining, the air was crisp and cold, and all the bars had nice places to sit outside in the fresh air. Not a patio heater in site (an it ain't warm in Sweden). Intstead, every chair came equipped with a basic blanket. They were clean, and nobody nicked them.
Is there anywhere in the UK doing such a thing? If so I haven't seen it.
*see PM newsletter
Actually, Appy, Eddie does know about tardises (or should that be tardi?). Unlike most of us, he's been in one, hasn't he?
/blogs/pm/2007/06/we_think_weve_worked_out_how_t_1.shtml
Do hospitals no longer have chapels on-site? Those used to be good places to sit in and regain one's calm in an emotional moment. One wasn't expected to be all Christian in them, or at least nobody ever asked me about my religious beliefs while my mother was dying and I was falling apart in corners at intervals. Nobody dismissed or patronised me when I was sitting quietly weeping in the chapel.
If it's in the reception area I suppose this Tardian installation isn't really taking up medical space, though, and a chapel probably is. Perhaps the chapels have all been turned into storage areas or something, and this small box is all the room there is left for being miserable in privately.
What happens if two or more people are feeling unhappy at the same time? Do they queue, or do they cram in together and hope for the best?
Eddie - Is there anyone less qualified to organise our railways than Ruth Kelly?
Belinda -
I was thinking the very same thing; lots of negative vibes may counter the effective the 'piece' is trying to achieve.
And is it me or are some of the worries just a wee bit trivial/not worth worrying about?
PS not wishing to belittle any bodies worries at all! In fact, having ruminated for all of not very long it strikes me that most worries are about small things. Maybe the big things are just too much for the worry synapse to deal with.
Jonnie, your link on the above posting is not working. Bored so I thought I'd look in at the camstream and the line wont work. Got there the long way.
Brian (14), Tara Palmer-Tompkinson.
Jonnie, your link on the above posting is not working. Bored so I thought I'd look in at the camstream and the line wont work. Got there the long way.
Posted again cos I had the e mail address (not displayed) wrong.
Great article. I also sent another post card to the Pointless Postcard Blog.
Thanks Stewart,
Eddie: Where is the AM on PM - (PM Preview today)?
Sadly Jonnie (21) since we have only now got sound on all our computers, we've been working round the technical trouble we've been landed in. Surprised we've managed to cobble together a programme, never mind all the stuff we'd LIKE to be doing!
Ap (18) - What have you got against TP-T I like her in a funny sort of way!
There was a very good/bad line that I could have followed there but I've decided to behave myself instead.
Oh poor Eddie and PM team -
Still, the transmitters are all on - and Studio S1 is no doubt beckoning - and Belinda and the band of happy Froggers will be glued to Sally Sheinman every wish :-)
The first labour lasted a few days over 10 years. If the second one goes on even longer, that really will be scary
Don't hospitals already have chapels/prayer rooms/etc.?
Couldn't they just use that and do something else with the space/money? A beautiful piece of art would be a start...
Re: hospitals
Call me cynical, but as soon as I heard the article I thought "Anyone worried about MRSA or C. diff?"
Do the hospital have the right to edit/censor comments - worries about "hospital acquired infections" wouldn't do much for morale...
Re: computers
I know many companies can be a bit backward in IT provision, but not equipping computers used to edit/produce radio programmes with the ability to play sounds is diabolical.
Might be a good idea to submit a request for a larger hard drive (well, now you can edit sounds you'll want to store them somewhere...) and memory (so you can actually *use* the computer, instead of double-clicking the editing suite and having time to locate the vending machine, realise you left your change on your desk, head back up to the office, collect the change, head back down to the vending machine, order a large coffee AND drink it before the editing suite loads...) - with a bit of luck, Accounts will have it signed off by this time next year, and the (by now out of date equipment) will be ordered in and installed by 2010...
I'm worried about people not knowing what the plural of Tardis is.
If it was a Latin word, it'd be Tardes. But as it is "Time And Relative Distance In Space", perhaps it should be Times and relative distances in spaces."
"It's such a problem," as the song* says.
*Does Santa Claus sleep with his whiskers under or over the sheets?
Vyle - Not distance but dimension as in "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space".
As Tardis is now accepted as not only referring to the Dr Who machine but used to describe anything that seems bigger on the inside than on the outside, it has become a "common" English word. Therefore the natural plural, I would suggest, is Tardises.
As to the other query that you raise - I'm sorry, I don't believe in Santa.