Published on 15 May 2023
Renowned photographer and University of Sunderland lecturer Johannah Churchill has launched a new exhibition at two Newcastle hospitals.
'NHS Darkroom', launched as part of the Newcastle Hospitals Charity Arts Programme, has involved Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust staff, Abbas Khushnood, Gerry Jones, Shaden Zuhairy and Yann Kimpouni having their portraits taken across Trust sites. They also enjoyed sessions in the University's photography darkroom at St Peter's, where they were able to develop their own images, which they took with 35mm film.
Katie Hickman, Arts Programme Manager for Newcastle Hospitals Charity, said: “We are so grateful to Johannah and University of Sunderland staff for dedicating their time, energy and enthusiasm into this project, and helping to make Trust staff and their work visible. We hope everyone enjoys the displays in the Freeman and RVI hospitals.”
Johannah, who trained to be a nurse at the Freeman from 2007 to 2010 and has a Masters in photography from London, joined the University as a lecturer in Contemporary Photography in August 2021.
Before arriving on Wearside, Johannah worked as a diabetic nursing lead in London. It was during this time she created the haunting image “Melanie, March 2020”, which went on to define the UK’s battle against coronavirus.
'NHS Darkroom' is a long-running exhibition and can be seen on Level 3 of the Leazes Wing at the RVI, or Level 2 at the Freeman hospital on the corridor leading to the Northern Centre for Cancer Care.
You can visit the Newcastle Hospitals Charity website to find out more about the Arts Programme.