A selection of photographs from nationally renowned photographer and former Southern General Hospital porter, Alan Dimmick, have been put on show in the QEUH in Glasgow thanks to NHSGGC’s Animating Public Spaces programme.
The display, which documents Glasgow from the 1970s to present day will be on show until December for patients, staff and visitors to enjoy. Pictures have been carefully selected to document the social history of Glasgow over the passage of time, providing viewers with a glimpse into a familiar past of the ever-changing fabric of the city.
Alan who has taken photos for most of his life and featured in exhibitions and publications the length and breadth of the country, has a strong personal and familial connection to the health service in Glasgow. Having spent part of his formative years employed as a porter at the Southern General (now QEUH) in the 1970s, Allan worked in the same building as his father, who was a neuroscientist, with his mother working north of the river at the Western Infirmary, and his sister working at Gartnavel.
The new QEUH exhibition was curated by Will Cooper and forms part of the ongoing Animating Public Spaces programme for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Working with NHS staff, local artists and arts organisations and other stakeholders, the initiative aims to offer high-quality, international contemporary art in Glasgow’s primary healthcare settings, providing hospital users space to rest, reflect, and recover.
Anyone is welcome to come and see the display which is hosted in the main QEUH atrium. Commenting, Alan said:
“It’s fantastic to be able to showcase some of my work at the QEUH. There’s something special about pictures being used to help people in ways I wouldn’t ordinarily have envisioned. For patients and visitors to the QEUH, it could be to remind them of a certain time, or take them to a certain place in the past which brings them comfort. More simply, the exhibition might simply provide a welcome distraction or temporary respite. It’s humbling to think your pictures might have that sort of positive impact on someone in a time of need.”
NHSGGC arts and health co-ordinator and lead for the Animating Public Spaces, Jackie Sands, added: “Glasgow has a real depth of history which Alan has captured beautifully over the years. We wanted to bring a slice of that to the QEUH so our patients and staff can enjoy it, as it depicts places and times in Glasgow’s history many of us will be familiar with and I’m sure everyone who comes along to look at the exhibition will be able to take something positive away from it.”
