The Bethlem Gallery’s latest exhibition is not your usual exhibition.
Welcoming hub: art is at the heart of everything that the gallery at the Bethlem Hospital does
It sounded like I would be outside my comfort zone but, tentatively, I went. I am glad I did. From the moment I arrived I was made to feel welcome, invited in, to look around, and to play with any of the musical instruments.
I looked at the workshopped banners and modified album covers that filled the wall and then a man dressed all in black invited me to sit down on one of the three sofas in the centre of the room.
This turned out to be the exhibition’s curator, Mark McGowan, also known as The Artist Taxi Driver.
“The open mic session is about to start,” McGowan said. It felt as if I had arrived at the right time.
Gentleness: Barrington G was among the open mic performers
First up was Barrington G who played the guitar and sang a little hesitantly but filled the room with the serenity and gentleness of his voice.
It was a vulnerable and soulful performance and it felt like a privilege to be one of the people in the room.
Next came Warren on saxophone and then some spoken poetry, for which the performer apologised before he started, and then apologised for again after he finished.
It was outrageous, and outrageously funny, delivered staccato and deadpan. This was contrasted by the following performer, a young woman whose poetry was more lyrical, more meditative. What these performers shared was a self-effacing sentiment that seemed to hold them back. It is to be hoped that by – literally – giving them a platform, McGowan can help build their confidence. They all have plenty to say.
McGowan himself offered up his poem Custard Creams and Toast, a darkly humorous work about addiction. He identified exactly the sort of toast he was talking about, “You know that 70p thick Tesco toastie bread?” and described how he could not stop toasting and buttering and eating until it was all gone and he started on the economy custard creams and filled himself up with carbohydrates and self-loathing.
The poem was especially poignant given that 25 years ago McGowan was treated at Bethlem while a heroin addict and first discovered his own talent and interest for art there.
After the performance, I asked McGowan what visitors might expect to see at Bethlem Live Lounge. He said, “The unexpected.
The great curator: Mark McGowan, the Artist Taxi Driver, has poured much energy into the exhibition
“It’s an open space for people to come and perform, make music, spoken word or play around with some old gadgets, like walkmans, minidisc players, synthesisers, a wired-up double bass, sample machines.
“We want people to see how easy it is to make music.
“We make drums! We have a make and create workshop every Friday 10.30 to 12.30.
“It’s open to all ages, to the public, and we have people from the Bethlem community coming to our projects and workshops.”
McGowan made several references to “the Bethlem community” as we spoke. He looks back on his time at Bethlem more fondly than he does his university days. It is, he says, his alma mater.
The Bethlem community included residents and day patients and a large cohort of specialist staff that support the arts programme at Bethlem. McGowan is keen to break down the stereotypes around mental illness and institutions like Bethlem. Rather than see patients as different-from-us or dangerous, we should understand that “it’s about getting better”.
Hence the gallery, music therapy, art therapy. And art and music, of course, are good for all of us.
They are easy to access, too, just three stops from East Croydon bus station on the super fast SL5 SuperLoop bus. The Bethlem Gallery is open 9.30am to 5pm Wednesday to Saturday and the Artist Taxi Driver-curated Live Lounge runs until July 13. It is a very comfortable lounge indeed.
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