Tom Gauld

Urban Park, 2018

Giclee prints
Cystic Fibrosis Unit, St Bartholomew’s Hospital

Deep within isolation rooms is a project by cartoonist, Tom Gauld, for the Cystic Fibrosis Unit at Barts Hospital. The risk of cross infection means that patients—who range in age from sixteen to mid-thirties due to limited life expectancy—are unable to socialise with each other, leaving them alone in their rooms for weeks on end. Recurring infections causes the same pool of patients to be in and out of the Unit several times a year.

As part of his commission, Gauld, whose humour has a subtle fatalism that appeals to the young adults reliant on the Unit, met with patients to gain insight into the particular circumstances of their condition, the hurdles they encounter, their hopes and fears in order to create a project that is relevant to their reality. The outcome is an urban park featuring humorous vignettes and unexpected elements that unwind across the Unit. This imaginary landscape takes the form of Myriorama-type cards that can be rearranged to create variations in each room, so patients can explore the work more fully–-and discover new vistas–-every time they are re-admitted to hospital.