Lizzie Merrill
Milton Keynes 1 by Siripan Kidd

In the eleventh instalment of our Twenty for Twenty series, we ask the editor of our Feel Good Foods cookbook, Lizzie Merrill, to  select an artwork from the Milton Keynes University Hospital Art Collection.

Which work in The Collection have you chosen to talk about?

The textile work 'Milton Keynes 1' by Siripan Kidd.

When and how did you first see it?

I first saw this work when I was lost in the hospital, looking for a ward I can no longer recall the name of. It started as a vibrant marker of place, but, by the second time I walked past it, I remember stopping and looking more closely.

What first interested or attracted you to this artwork?

Colour and texture were the first things that grabbed me about this work. At the time, I was also working on my first quilting project at home and so I was really interested in composite textiles projects. I admired both the technical skill and also the creativity that had gone into the piece. I felt like I could see seasons changing as I looked at it, as well as flowing water, rustling grass and all kinds of other movement.

Do you remember how seeing this work made you feel?

It made me feel nostalgic for a few different reasons. Quilting was something that I'd grown up admiring my grandma for being able to do. So, the technique itself reminds me of her wise hands that weren't afraid of needles or pins like I was. The composition also reminded me of a quilt that was given to me when I was treated in GOSH for leukaemia as a child. I was part of a charity project that gave sick children a quilt that was handmade by local people. I spent ages in bed marvelling at all the stitches, trying to imagine someone spending hours of their time just for my comfort. So the piece by Kidd, as well as making me nostalgic for these occasions, made me aware of those same actions of care and dedication that I had seen growing up.

In general, what kind of impact do you think seeing art at MKUH has on your experience of being on the hospital site?

Seeing art at the hospital made me feel incredibly grateful. In addition to brightening the halls, it fostered a sense of community and care for the place we rely on for healing. Hospitals can make you feel distant from home, surrounded by clinical spaces, but the art at MKUH is a constant reminder of life beyond the hospital, bringing some of that colour and warmth inside.

Contributors: Lizzie Merrill
Lizzie Merrill is a PhD student at the University of York. She kindly donated her time to Arts for Health MK last year to produce our Feel Good Foods Cookbook. You can learn more about the project or find out how to purchase a copy here.