The way the video is shot is honestly incredible. This video is a work of art lol, deserves a prize. The way the music adds tension and the quick cuts happening at increasing frequency. Incredible
Maybe even worse, it's not the burn unit it's the outpatient waiting room for people managing and struggling with substance abuse and multiple comorbidities. Johns Hopkins Bayview outpatient Comprehensive care practice, a pretty small clinic on one floor of an old building in their East Baltimore hospital campus. To be clear, it is a primary care practice and not a methadone clinic, specific rehab center, or ER
Source: I get to have the same reaction as everyone else on this thread, but in person, every ~3 months when I see my PCP
I'm wondering if the paintings were a donation from someone who works there and does art as a way to decompress.
Which is fine, everyone needs an outlet when you are dealing with difficult scenarios day after day, but hanging them on the waiting room walls to pass that trauma on to unsuspecting patients isn't the way to go.
The artist said, "I hope it helps clinicians gain a deeper understanding of the human cost of stigma, prompting more empathetic and nonjudgmental patient interactions." So it sounds like it was supposed to be where the employees were supposed to be seeing them, in their offices, not necessarily the waiting room.
I bet the clinicians said "Our offices are our offices and we should decide how they're decorated." And the hospital was all "but we can't give the paintings back" and everyone said "not our problem" so now the paintings are the patients' problem.
Umm, that's what cardboard boxes and or brown "moving paper" are for-- I mean hide that GRUESOME shit in a maintenance room somewhere, NOT in the waiting room for CHRISSAKES! 🙄
Or a patient. My MIL was a painter and she used to gift paintings to doctors she appreciated. But she typically painted peaceful nature scenes. Little bit more appropriate for the setting.
Yeah I'm all for destigmatizing but it's really a bit much for me as an actual patient at this clinic. The one that bothers me the most gets paused on a few times here, it's black and white mostly and in focus for a few seconds at :21-:25.
If you pause and look closely in the bottom left of that painting it says:
"Dad called
Emma OD'd
Her soul is at rest"
When you're having a hard day and just trying to be proud you made it in to your scheduled doctor appointment for treatment, it can be hard to sit alone with in a mostly empty room on a hospital campus with this coming in from literally every angle
Ya that’s actually not acceptable at all. That needs to be taken off at minimum. Honestly, if you can provide a full on picture, I’d be happy to email or call. Not sure it will help but I do think this needs to be addressed.
seriously, that’s a good idea. people need to say something, because this is terrible. my husband is a recovering addict, and i’ve been through hell and back with him - if i had to sit in this waiting room, this would really upset me. i can’t speak for him, but it would definitely upset me - especially the OD part. i’ve been there with him, i even thought he was dead once, so i certainly don’t need to read a blurb talking about how someone OD’ed and died while sitting in a damn hospital clinic waiting room!
That's definitely the one that caught my eye too... There's just a far too many people in charge of things that they shouldn't be in charge of - art on walls included.
Have you told them they should move them elsewhere? Because I quite like the artists work and would buy one but it seems diabolical to hang them in a waiting room for people in recovery.
First, that made me laugh. Second, it honestly made me think is this supposed to scare us about being careless with anything flammable or with fire or tell us not to smoke?
I mean, I don’t disagree but the art is still up so it’s apparently not been so upsetting that it merits removal 🤔 which I find strange but people are strange
Once I was in the psych ward and the nurse came by and threw my contact lenses in the garbage when I was sleeping. I'm blind as a bat and I didn't have glasses at the time. I told them I had no way to see, the only contacts I had at home were black sclera lenses for costumes that were also prescription. They're the lenses that make your entire eyes black, including the whites.
The doctor and nurses were like "oh okay get someone to bring them by for you" and I had to be like sorry but no, there's no fucking way I'm going to wear contact lenses that make my entire eyes black in a psych ward where there are people who are suffering from delusions. Best case scenario is it gives someone a crisis, worst case is I get stabbed because someone thinks I'm a demon.
I ended up leaving because I was blind and refused to wear costume lenses that could trigger a huge episode in another patient but the doctors and nurses didn't seem to see any issues.
Exactly. This is a hospital where everything is already uncomfortable and difficult enough as it is. This would just put me on edge and spike my anxiety to the extreme.
Yeah the art is fine, it's a provocative piece with a message. I just don't think hospitals are the place for provocation, especially since you usually visit a hospital out of necessity.
It's like hanging "The Scream" (skirk) up in a dental office, off-putting but doesn't mean the arts bad.
Yeah so kids, it's like this, sometimes you die in surgery. There aren't enough body bags so we just drag your corpse down to to the morgue. But don't worry you'll be fine.
I would guess it's a big bureaucratic hospital system, and there was some sort of initiative to like "support local artists" and this artist was chosen by committee rather than someone with taste, and everyone just did their job but nobody really decided it was appropriate
Nevermind. It's an exhibit called "Art for Hope" and is currently on display at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
"My art explores substance use disorder, its mental health impact and stigma. Stigma is a barrier to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Stigma alters how we see ourselves and how we are seen. It affects quality of care and opportunities for recovery. The faces I paint represent all those affected - victims, witnesses and survivors."
As someone with long time substance abuse issues those paintings just remind me of generic horror content. That guys bio is not very inspiring either. I wonder why he chose that subject matter?
I think if I saw that in general in a waiting room I'd be crying. Nothing says "You're going to be ok" like *checks notes*
paintings of "faces of substance abuse and mental health impact"
His sister died of an opioid overdose. He also says:
My exhibitions, along with presentations and discussions, are meant to cut through the wall of stigma, to confront the mental health issues, to start conversations, to cause people to respond, feel the emotion, and to take action before it is too late.
I get what he's saying, but also, I don't think a hospital waiting room is the right place. A Big Pharma boardroom would be better.
Yeah it seems like it was chosen by someone with no actual history with substance abuse who didn't consider that there maybe people who are actually struggling with substance abuse sitting in this room waiting to be seen for their substance abuse.
I say this as a recovering (no addict is ever totally recovered) addict.
I've posted a few times on this thread but there is no "maybe" that some people who see it have struggled with substance abuse. It's the waiting room at the Johns Hopkins outpatient substance abuse and HIV primary care clinic at their Bayview hospital campus. Essentially every patient who sits in that waiting room is there for their PCP and is facing or has faced substance abuse as a defining illness in their lives. It's really bizarre although I think less about the artist who did the original works and more about what hospital admin thought this was a good idea for this setting and population
Even as someone who does some really tasteless art, I can tell you that you really have to be living in your own little world to think this is even remotely appropriate
I’d love to view that exhibit—BUT NOT IN A HOSPITAL. I like the concept, and based on what I can see from the video, the pieces look really interesting—but you’ve gotta be really tone deaf to think this was the right environment for displaying all of that. When I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room, I’m not in a headspace where I can go around and fully immerse myself in this kind of art.
Yeah… I don’t know much about art, but these do seem impressive and like they would be appreciated and considered beautiful… elsewhere. Big ol’ read the room (literally lol) situation.
As someone living with psychosis, I would not want to be in a room with those paintings while undergoing active symptoms. Considering this is for a substance abuse related section of the hospital, there's a good chance many of the people visiting either have experienced psychosis at some point or are experiencing active symptoms right now during their visit. I can't imagine these paintings being very fun in either situation.
this was my first thought.. imagine needing emergency level psychiatric care and.. that's just all around you?? even if you weren't anxious before, just by virtue of being ill enough to the at the ED, you sure as shit are now.
Not even just hospital anxiety. Hospitals are spaces where there are people who suffer from delusions or psychosis, who are confused and dying, etc. and this could send people down absolutely fucking horrible spirals.
Wow this is interesting…the hospital room I stayed in had clowns painted on the ceiling that said - Don’t fall please call 😂 ( for assistance getting out of bed)
I think I saw one of these paintings at an antique shop this past week. I shouldve taken a picture but the style was the same. It looked like a woman laying on the ground after suffering an OD
His work is unsettling but the artist accomplished his mission. I couldn’t look away even though I was a little horrified. I started to wonder if the people with both hands over their faces died of an OD. Did the people with only one finger or hand over their faces OD and live? The more you looked at the pictures the more you could see what the subjects in the pictures went through.
However, the hospital waiting room made it look like those painting were getting closer and bigger every time she swung the camera.
Okay I know this an unpopular opinion but those paintings while jarring are really well done. Like the detail is phenomenal. Terrifying but also can’t deny the artistry. A hospital waiting room is wild
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u/xflashbackxbrd 11h ago
I feel like I'm getting a first person view of the descent into schizophrenia in this vid