NHS Darkroom is a participatory photography programme that offers staff at Newcastle Hospitals Trust a space to process their lived experiences through photography practice.
Led by Johannah Churchill, Lecturer in Contemporary Photography at the University of Sunderland and former nurse, NHS Darkroom aims to develop staff skills and expertise in photography. Staff participate in photography workshops and learn how to develop their own photos in the darkroom at University of Sunderland’s Northern Centre of Photography. Staff are also invited to sit for professional portraits taken by Johannah.
The resulting portraits and images displayed across Newcastle Hospitals make visible the variety of professions working together, in a multiplicity of healthcare settings. NHS Darkroom provides a reflective space that supports staff wellbeing through creative activity, positioning the darkroom itself as a place of care and reflection for healthcare staff.
This project is a collaboration between Johannah Churchill, Newcastle Hospitals Charity arts programme, the NGCA and is supported by the University of Sunderland. You can see some of Johannah’s previous work with Newcastle Hospitals staff here, recent works are displayed in the Freeman Hospital, where she trained as a nurse, and in the Leazes Wing at RVI.
Meet the Artist
Johannah Churchill is a photographer in the North East. She trained and worked as an NHS nurse before moving into photography, that shift was not a departure but a continuity. The same instincts that shaped her nursing practice, attention, proximity, trust, are what define her photographic work. Her images are built on access that takes time to earn, and a genuine understanding of care, labour, and what people carry with them.
Her work moves between portraiture, documentary, and participatory practice, with a consistent focus on people, belonging, and the realities of everyday life. Her image Melanie, March 2020, made at the opening of a Covid-19 clinic, was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery and featured on the cover of the Hold Still book. Her work is also held in the Wellcome Collection and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art. She leads NHS Darkroom, an ongoing participatory research project with Newcastle Hospitals, and carried out commissioned work for organisations including the Gaia Foundation, NEPN, SEPN and the Telegraph.