Liverpool Health & Academic Precinct // 2021-2024

PROJECT: Liverpool Health and Academic Precinct
DATE: 2021-2024
LOCATION: Liverpool Hospital, NSW
CLIENT: Health Infrastructure NSW

City People worked as creative producers for the LHAP Arts in Health Program – a culture-led placemaking project integrating arts into healthcare delivery at Liverpool Hospital.

Our aim was to provide a culturally safe environment to improve access to care for First Nations and new migrant communities around South Western Sydney.

By co-designing artworks and wayfinding elements with grassroot communities and artists, we sought to provide moments of healing, support and comfort throughout the hospital – an environment which can be busy, emotionally charged and traumatic.

PROCESS

City People used a community-centred approach to curating artworks within Liverpool Hospital to foster ownership and agency amongst local First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. We worked with South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), Health Infrastructure and CuriousWorks – a social enterprise in south-west Sydney pairing emerging and experienced filmmakers.

We created a Working Group with community members, arts organisations, SWSLHD Aboriginal Health Unit, SWSLHD Multicultural Services, project managers, clinical staff, architects and placemaking experts. This group provided critical advice on: protocols for engaging First Nations and CALD communities, realistic timelines, shortlisting artists, and opportunities for local community to co-design arts in health programs.

We commissioned 3 artist facilitators to co-create artworks with First Nations and CALD communities through 4 co-design workshops. 

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Burbangana, 2024,

New media art film and stills photography
Artists: Alison Page and Nik Lachajczak from Zakpage
Curator: Michael Cohen

Suspended sculptural installation
Artists: Alison Page and Nik Lachajczak from Zakpage, Jamie Eastwood
Curator: City People
Fabricator: Tilt

City People engaged Alison Page and Nik Lachajczak from Zakpage for a major First Nations commission at Liverpool Hospital as part of the LHAP Arts in Health Program.

Burbangana is a Dharug word meaning ‘take hold of my hand and help me up’. In this work – comprising a film, photographic stills and a suspended sculpture – the artists spotlight the holistic nature of health and its connections to people and place.

Aided by local Dharug custodian @venessapossum as the creative producer, the artists ran a co-design workshop on Country with fifteen First Nations participants.

From this workshop, the artists integrated imagery capturing the healing energy of Country into Burbangana to provide a moment of respite and wellbeing for every visitor who moves through the space.

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Multicultural Community Program, framed artworks and large-scale wall graphics, 2024,

Facilitators: Barahanos Byrne (Tina Barahanos & Alexandra Byrne), Leanne Watson Redpath
Artists: Kevin Vo, Yasameen Hameed, Kevser Ugurlu, Federico Rekowski, Miriam Cabello

Artist duo Barahanos Byrne and Dharug artist Leanne Watson Redpath mentored 5 local artists of migrant and refugee backgrounds from south-west Sydney for Multicultural Community Program – framed artworks and large-scale wall graphics in public and patient areas.

City People, Barahanos Byrne and Watson Redpath held 2 co-design workshops with 13 culturally and linguistically diverse community members from Liverpool about inclusion, safety, collaboration and wellbeing.

In response, the 5 artists created and presented artworks for feedback to co-design participants about emergent themes of resilience, journeys, nature, family and connections.

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// South Western Sydney Local Health District and Health Infrastructure proudly present the Arts in Health Program, as part of the redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital.