Heywood based artist exhibits at the Infirmary!

iamge from Chris Foster's photographic tour of Asia

Heywood based artist Chris Foster's photographic tour of Asia has found a rather unusual home – at four Greater Manchester hospitals, including Rochdale Infirmary.

'Worlds Apart' is an original exhibition of 27 photographs relating to the recent years that Chris has lived and worked in Asia. 

But rather than find a home at a gallery, they have gone on display at each of the four main hospitals run by Pennine Acute Trust – Rochdale Infirmary, Bury’s Fairfield General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital.

Each hospital hosts a different series of works that, as a whole, create a vibrant and original exhibition, linking each hospital to the others as well as the people and places depicted in the images. 

The exhibition is part of the arts activity carried out for the Trust by Lime, the arts in healthcare organisation, funded through endowments contributions and external grants.  Many different projects are undertaken, with an aim of positively engaging with staff, patients and community through creative activity.

Rob Vale, Pennine Trust’s arts projects manager, said: “The exhibition is a unique chance to view stunning photographs by one of our areas up and coming artists, and we are very grateful to Chris for allowing us to house ‘Worlds Apart’ in our hospitals, as it gives the Trust’s community the chance to view work that would normally be confined to a gallery setting.

“Hiroshima was the final location of a seven-year journey for Chris. The groups of photographs document the characters, colours, shapes and details that influenced his time in and around 2005, six decades after that infamous day when for us Hiroshima became a moment rather than a place. From the sombre outlines of Hiroshima’s Memorial Museum to the vibrancy of a Japanese Autumn, these moments caught on film create a context for our understanding of a real place, heard of by everyone, visited by few, worlds apart from our own.”

Chris said: “The feedback from both staff and patients has been great so far. It’s really good to see some of those corridors brightened up with photographs from my time abroad.”