Foresterhill – Past, Present and Future Exhibition

The Suttie Arts Space
4 Sept – 26 Nov 2023

As part of our continued collaboration with NHS Grampian Archives, GHAT has commissioned 5 local artists to explore the absorbing history and future of Foresterhill Health Campus. Each artist was invited to choose from a selection of images held in the archives, as a basis for them to create new work while investigating the Foresterhill site.

We are pleased to be able to showcase the work of Jo Gilbert, Flying Lion, Adrian Reid, Carla Smith, and Nina Stanger.

Fiona Musk – NHS Grampian Archivist 

‘NHS Grampian Archives and Grampian Hospitals Art Trust have been working together to find out more about the Joint Hospitals Scheme, its origins and development, and how it created the Foresterhill Health Campus of today. First put forward in 1920 by Aberdeen City’s Medical Officer of Health Matthew Hay, the scheme saw the move of three of Aberdeen’s hospitals from the city centre to a new site with room for expansion. 

Much of the archive collection is made up of the written word, and the artists involved in the project have taken these, along with various photographs and re-interpreted these to show how the scheme progressed, looking at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. Working with the artists and the archive collection has opened up new avenues of how research can be viewed and displayed, and provides different ways for people to view historic information. 

It has been a pleasure to have been a part of the project, and fascinating to see how the artists have worked with the material in so many different ways. Since the completion of the scheme in the 1930s, the site has continued to develop and expand and this exhibition shows how Foresterhill Health Campus was begun.’ 

Exhibition Guide
Exhibition Floor Plan
Byordinar Craturs mp3 file
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Exhibition photos by Mike Davidson.

This exhibition has been funded by Aberdeen City Council.

In light of the current situation The Suttie Arts Space is only open to users of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. This includes all staff, patients and their visitors. For more information on The Suttie Arts Space please go to our Frequently Asked Questions page.