An exhibition by Artist's Jim Butler and Hannah Jane Walker, displayed in the Addenbrooke's Gallery from 23rd November 2023 - 15th April 2024.
2023 marked 75 years of the NHS. Our National Health Stories was an unprecedented collaboration to celebrate this anniversary through capturing the daily experiences of NHS staff across 19 trusts all over the country.
Here in Cambridge, CUH Arts commissioned illustrator Jim Butler to spend time in our hospitals drawing staff at work.
Down here we work to the hum of the heating system. We work under your feet. We work until there’s a rhythm bend, lift, sort – repeat bend, lift, sort – repeat. Our arms hold and release.
Excerpt from poem by Hannah Jane Walker.
In addition, Writer Hannah Jane Walker held conversations with staff about the motivations for their work, the daily rituals they bring with them, and the most memorable experiences of their time in the NHS. She then used those conversations as inspiration for a poem, An Organisation of People.
The midwives sturdy as mountains wait in hallways in navy linen, ready to roll their sleeves, bend their knees and ask people to believe in their bodies.
Excerpt from poem by Hannah Jane Walker.
This project also produced a printed zine, which is available for free. If you would like to recieve a copy, please contact: