Texture of Air is an art and heritage project honouring the two famous hospitals at a moment of change. Eastman Dental Hospital and Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital both left their historic homes on the Gray’s Inn Road, and united in a new shared facility in October 2019. The artists began by inviting staff and patients to walk and talk through the hospitals. They found many treasures in the old buildings - a relic of St. Blaise; a “museum” of ear trumpets, an ark-load of specimens ranging from a pygmy shrew to a giraffe, a Friday knitting club, a cherub fountain, door handles emblazoned with wise owls. An archive of oral history conversations with staff and patients, music, field recordings and the audio-visual work can be found at https://www.thetextureofair.uk/

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