Opening Times: 6 – 15 Nov | Tuesday – Saturday (11am – 5pm) | Sunday (11am – 4pm)
Location: Persistence Works (Yorkshire Art Space), 21 Brown St, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield, S1 2BS
About the exhibit
COVID’s Hidden Scars is an immersive art installation developed by Dr Martyn Griffin from a six-year study into the psychological and emotional trauma experienced by critical care nurses during and after the pandemic. Centred around a recreated critical care bed, the exhibit incorporates a filmed performance, photographs, a handcrafted patchwork quilt and a large mural to reflect the study’s key findings. The artworks were co-designed with artists James Croft, Sally Ann Spencer-Grey, Rebel Roots Theatre Company and Yid Whells. You are invited to step into this quiet space to reflect on the unseen emotional toll borne by healthcare workers and their attempts to repair and heal.
Podcast
Want to know more about the research behind COVID’s Hidden Scars and how the exhibit was created?
In this podcast, Dr Martyn Griffin from the University of Sheffield joins the artists behind the installation to discuss the experiences of critical care nurses during and after the COVID 19 pandemic.
They explore the idea of moral injury, the emotional harm that can happen when healthcare workers are placed in situations that go against their sense of what is right, and explain how interviews with nurses were turned into artwork, performance and an immersive installation.
The conversation also looks at moral repair, the lasting impact of the pandemic on nurses and what better support for healthcare workers could look like.
The podcast will release on 6 November 2026