Anna Odell’s video work Rekonstruktion – Psyket opens
Image from Anna Odell’s video work "Rekonstruktion - Psyket" (Reconstruction – The Psychiatric Ward/Psyche).
In autumn 2023, artist Anna Odell was artist-in-residence at the Centre for Medical Humanities. On 6 May, the result, her video work Rekonstruktion – Psyket (Reconstruction – The Psychiatric Ward/Psyche), will open. From the beginning of May, it will be on display at the Biomedical Centre (BMC).
“It feels fantastic and a great honour that Rekonstruction – Psyket is ending up at BMC among medical and nursing students,” says Anna Odell.
The work explores the dynamics of a group of staff in institutional psychiatric care when complex social interactions arise between patient and carer. The work consists of a two-channel, hour-long video and a number of photographs.
Intention of the Public Art Agency Sweden
When the Public Art Agency Sweden bought the video work, their intention was for it to be placed at Uppsala University. Pontus Aspenström, Director of BMC, has played a key role in making the installation happen. He says he was surprised when he was asked by the Public Art Agency Sweden, but on consideration, he thought it was a very good idea:
“At BMC, there is already a set of stands displaying skeletons and various organs. That material can be said to constitute the physical representation of human life. Anna Odell’s artwork can be described as its psychological representation,” Aspenström says.
The work has been installed in a meeting pod, which has been equipped with screens for video viewing and a sofa for those who want to experience the work. It has been placed close to the reception desk so as to be easily accessible to BMC students and staff. It is also open to the public during office hours.
Based on her own experience
In her work on Rekonstruktion – Psyket, Odell set out from her own experiences of psychiatric care in the 1990s, when she became pregnant by a carer during her last period of compulsory care. The video combines interviews with hospital staff involved in Odell’s case with extracts from medical records and staged conversations with staff working in psychiatric care today. The exhibition, first shown at Cecilia Hillström Gallery in Stockholm and then at Uppsala Art Museum, was critically acclaimed and generated comments both on the role of art and on psychiatry.
“The video work raises fundamental questions about the relationship between carer/doctor and patient, and how to think about the ethical issues involved when the boundary between patient and carer is overstepped. It addresses issues that are important for people training for healthcare professions to discuss,” Aspenström says.
Åsa Malmberg
Rekonstruktion – Psyket
The video work, which has been installed at the Biomedical Centre (BMC), is owned by the Public Art Agency Sweden, and the meeting pod in which it is placed was purchased with the support of Akademiska Hus and the Public Art Agency Sweden. The work was produced while Anna Odell was artist-in-residence at the Centre for Medical Humanities, with support from Region Uppsala.