Re-staging the familiar

NORTHSIDE HOUSE - A HOSPITAL ROOMS PROJECT, 2021 Northside House was a project between Hospital Rooms, Norwich University of the Arts (NUA), Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and Arts Council England. Over the course of eleven months, a global pandemic and three national lockdowns, six artists led workshops with service users and staff which then informed the eight installations completed at Northside House, a medium secure forensic unit for men in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Northside House provides care to people who have a severe and enduring mental health diagnosis and have been in touch with the criminal justice system. This dual element often means that service users experience disproportionate stigma and, as a consequence, face a series of barriers to meaningful engagement with arts and culture. During the project, service users and staff participated in a series of workshops alongside artists Cara Nahaul, Carl Rowe, Dexter Dalwood, Jade Montserrat, Naomi Harwin and Richard Wentworth. With a value on process over outcome, these experiences are crucial in encouraging autonomy and feelings of self-worth through artistic expression. These workshops went on to inform six installations in spaces across Northside House.