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An Ecology of Mind brings together five artists with an interest in the complex relationships that connect art, ecology and health.
Recent research has demonstrated how our mental health is positively influenced by access to green spaces, but there has been a centuries-old association between our inner and outer ‘natures’.

The Gallery site itself reflects changes in attitudes at the turn of the last century: the hospital moved out of the city at a time when gardens and parks began to be an integral part of treatment. In line with new thinking about the influence of the environment on what would now be called ‘wellbeing’, residents were given access to nature and fresh air, and the possibility of engaging in therapeutic work.

The artists selected for the exhibition respond to these themes from singular perspectives. Some deliberately seek solace in the outside world and non-human modes of being. Others, compelled by the pandemic to turn inwards, find worlds within themselves. All of the artists see nature as a resource – for images and metaphors, but also more directly as a source of material for forming objects and relationships.

During the exhibition, there will be a series of public workshops re-imagining the Bethlem hospital grounds as a cultural & natural ‘commons’. Artists will build on the local knowledge of hospital staff, residents and visitors to produce guides and toolkits to help us revisit our relationship to the world, ourselves and each other.

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Spring Park Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Rd, London BR3 3BX