Scenes from everyday life typical to the surrounding area, including of seagulls, the sea, and people eating fish and chips – all ‘recalling the joys of the outdoors of South Tyneside and South Shields’ – are captured in a range of illustrations introduced by art and design consultancy, Art in Site, into Haven Court, an integrated care hub in South Shields that supports elderly people’s health and wellbeing.
Opened in 2016, Haven Court was jointly provided by South Tyneside Council and South Tyneside NHS to house a range of health and social care services. It provides coordinated support for residents and visiting patients – including those with various stages of dementia, one key goal being to help people live independently for longer.
Art in Site – which produces bespoke art and design for healthcare and mental health spaces – was hired as the art consultant. The consultancy said: “We introduced a series of illustrations by David Jones, which draw on local culture, history, and traditions, to brighten the space. The experiences depicted will be familiar to those visiting or inhabiting the unit, many of whom grew up and worked here. The drawings thus provide a focus or trigger for conversations and reminiscences.”
Other illustrations placed strategically around the unit include scenes drawn from local culture and history – such as Vikings landing, and their boats, and ruins –drawn onto furniture in social spaces, while portraits of local professions occupy wooden fins in the waiting area. All the drawings have been reproduced on wooden surfaces, bringing non-clinical materials into the environment.