Michelle Williams Gamaker’s ‘Springfield Eternal’ artworks in the Atrium of the new Springfield Hospital. 2022 Springfield Eternal surfaced from a series of six workshops led by British Sri Lankan moving image and performance artist Michelle Williams Gamaker at Springfield University Hospital and @courtauld. Participants were invited to create multi-layered collages combining imagery from found images of landscapes, animals, sculptures, figures, flowers and vegetation. Patients explored the possibility of creating something the eye and mind can get ‘lost in’, evoking a feeling of daydreaming and magical escapism. Springfield Eternal is a rich repository of animals, objects in the form of sculptural deities, including heads of the Greek goddess of health, Hygieia,and tropical flora, which encompass the idea of a “densely layered world”. The beauty and complexity of this imaginative world reflects all those who work in and use the hospital. “I found this programme really brought me out of my shell. I didn't realise that I had any underlying ability or talent. Through these workshops, the artists have encouraged me. And when I said, ‘I can't do this, help me’, they said, ‘Yes, you can’, and I surprised myself. So I will continue to engage and come along as long as I’ve got my health and strength.” Workshop participant, Recovery College @michellewilliamsgamaker #michellewilliamsgamaker #hospitalrooms