A touch of ‘cabin fever’ has broken out at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in the shape of a huge wooden shed. Situated in the atrium, the four metre by three metre structure is the brainchild of NHS Forth Valley’s artist in residence Lindsay Perth, and has been designed to showcase some of her art work. It’s also hoped to be used for creative workshops with patients and the public.

The cabin has been specially designed so that it can be assembled and dismantled easily. An internal partition has been added to keep space dark for brighter projection and TV monitor installations. The first showing, which will run until the end of July 2013, is ‘Duplicity’ which will feature collected clips of two TV presenters silently keeping eye contact with the audience while their co-host speaks. The result is a series of head tilts, knowing smiles and mild flirtations, which Lindsay describes as ‘unnerving’.  She explained:

 It’s been quite a process to get this structure built to suit the varying purposes which I need. But I can’t deny I’m pretty excited about the way its aesthetic qualities combine with its functionality. Seeing it in the hospital’s atrium will no doubt arouse the curiosity of patients, staff and visitors alike, but that’s exactly the effect I am hoping for – that people will peek in and enjoy!”

The August feature is dubbed ‘Kansas’ and takes the iconic and beloved fantasy film The Wizard of Oz as its theme. However, it disturbs it by removing the celebrated soundtrack and replacing it with the unrefined vocal attempts of the artist.

NHS Forth Valley’s Arts and Wellbeing Co-ordinator Babs McCool believes the cabin will become a huge talking point:

 Putting this little gallery in the atrium over the summer will let patients and visitors see the film and media side of Lindsay Perth’s work. The three cabin projects are all based on Lindsay’s interest in memory and how we all experience, hold and shape our memories in constructing our lives and ourselves.  The last stage of this Scotland-based Canadian artist’s two year residency with NHS Forth Valley, funded by Creative Scotland and Clackmannanshire Council, namely the art cabin, should be well worth a visit.”

The programme will also feature 60 photomontages known as ‘A Sense of Someplace’ which are the result of a collaboration between Lindsay Perth and clients of the mental health resource centre at Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre and members of the mental health support organisation Reach Out with Arts in Mind in Alloa. Later in the year, at the end of September 2013, the art cabin will be relocated outside the hospital on the concourse and four single screen films will be shown.