'Our Stories'

‘Our Stories’ is a series of artworks by artist John Conway inspired by his conversations with staff of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin, Tallaght and Temple St in 2019 during which they reflected on their workplaces and the role art plays in normalising the space for children. In 2019, the CHI in Health programme began working with the CHI Organisational Development Team to consider how to create a space for staff to celebrate the existing hositals and their unique cultures before the big move.

Inspire

John Conway was invited to meet with the staff in an informal way and these conversations inspired ‘Our Stories’ – a series of nine risographic printed artworks. A full set of these works now hang in each CHI hospital and in Connolly Outpatient and Urgent Care Centre.  This series of artworks is a celebration of the stories and perspectives of CHI staff in relation to their workplace and the role art can play within it.  It is hoped they will inspire new  conversations and memories, as we move forward together to the new children’s hospital.

Chief Executive of CHI Eilish Hardiman noted that “the arts in all its forms provide a colourful and engaging platform for people to come together and this is particularly relevant for Children’s Health Ireland as we move from being three long established children’s hospitals.”

According to the CHI Arts in Health Curator, Mary Grehan: “When we first embarked on this project, we had no idea what the outcome would be but we were delighted when John proposed the creation of such child friendly artworks based on those things staff said to him.  Of the many interesting comments staff made about their working environments, we selected those things that prompted specific imagery and we are delighted with the results.”

Privilege

Artist John Conway added: “As artists we often have the unique privilege of being able to visit interesting and complicated spaces; observing and taking the pulse. I was very much welcomed by all the CHI staff I met through this project.  They gave me an insight into working cultures across the different CHI sites.  I got an understanding of what art does at the coal face in an acute health setting.  The way art works for staff and children can be very different to how artists might expect.”

The project was funded by Children’s Health Ireland and Dublin City Council Culture Company’s Engage the City programme.

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