Looking for a surface to rest my vessel of knowledge on, I asked Loli, my youngest daughter to make me something. She choose to make a mat from some cyanotype prints she had made. She joined them linking them one to the next to create a current or line between each piece of paper culminating in the spot where she placed the pot.

The prints Loli used were made in early summer when she accompanied me to a cyanotype workshop at the Bethlem Gallery. Here we learn the chemical processes of Cyanotype printing.

The Gallery, based within the grounds of the Bethlem Hospital, promotes the idea of art as a tonic for the soul:

The Bethlem Gallery programme includes collaborations with Bethlem Museum of the Mind, artists-in-residence, interdisciplinary research and partnerships with arts organisations across the UK and beyond. We campaign for access to the arts in healthcare environments and engage audiences in learning and debate on the subject of mental health and artistic practice.

“Pills are ok, counselling is ok, and it will get you back on the streets, but what keeps your mind alive is what you learn here. That’s what it’s about – keeping your spirit alive.” – Lee, Bethlem artist.