The Unclouded Mind

Mental asylums may seem a curious, if not to say odd wellspring for creative inspiration. But to me they offer a tender and liberating subject
which quietly worms its way through the imagination. My interest in these long abandoned institutions- as neglected by society as their
former inhabitants- was awakened by a desire to pass beyond their shadowy facades. A surreptitious visit to the now derelict Sussex county
hospital in the village of Hellingly , drew me further into the labyrinthine possibilities for artistic exploration. The silent interiors and vacant corridors
are being reclaimed by nesting crows and creeping ivy. Wards which once echoed with chattering and imbalanced minds crumble into ruins.
The long departed residents are retreating ghosts who have made the walls their home.

XUE Wang December 2011