Bedlam: the asylum and beyond
This show was a
good mix of good historical displays and contemporary art installations to help
illuminate some of the ideas. It looked at how in ancient times the asylum was
a space, often a religious place where individuals could seek refuge. I was
fascinated in the sections on the town of Geel in Flanders which became a place
of pilgrimage, as it housed the shrine of St Dymphna, the patron saint of the
‘mentally distracted’ in medieval times. In modern times the town still offers
a system of ‘family care’ where ‘Boarders’ live with families and are part of
the town’s life.
The sections on
Bedlam itself were really well presented and much helped by the slide show put
together by Rev Edward Geoffrey O’Donoghue, chaplain from 1892 to 1930,
compiled to illustrate the regular lectures he gave as part of a programme of
entertainments for staff and patients. It traced all the buildings the hospital
had occupied and different responses to the patients over the years.
The show also
used examples of mental asylums from other parts of the country often quoting
the Retreat in York, I had forgotten that the musical society I belonged to
used to go and do concerts there back in the 1980s. I was very touched by a
huge set of embroideries by Mary Frances Heaton, a music teacher admitted to
Wakefield asylum in 1837 suffering from epilepsy and ‘delusions’ of an affair
with Lord Seymour, whose children were her pupils. She protested her innocence
via her work which she sent to various prominent people. I strongly suspected
that she may have had a point!
The later section
looked at 20th century techniques for treating mental illness as the idea of
treatment in asylums became less acceptable. There was a wonderful 1950s film
advocating the use of tranquilisers and good discussions about the role of care
in the community.
Closes on 15
January 2017
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