Watch: Spoken word video on connection in Covid pandemic

The spoken word performance, titled Unlocked, was commissioned by the Arts for Health and Wellbeing Programme at Cardiff and Vale Health Charity.

The video is a collaborative effort between artist and poet Duke Al, visual creative Trev Burgess, illustrator Dom Tsoi and music producer Tom James, along with performance artist Ruby Atlanta Boland and staff members at Cardiff Royal Infirmary.

The short video captures the desire for connection, community, and creativity experienced by many people due to lockdown and loss during the Covid pandemic, along with the pride and respect felt towards NHS staff.

Duke Al said: “The NHS have been lifesavers (literally) since the pandemic.

“Although they have come under a lot of stress, they have somehow been able to help get the nation through the pandemic so far. I have the utmost respect for the NHS and I thank them for their hard work and resilience.

“I wanted to show my respect for them with this poem and I was honoured to be asked to do this to show my support.”

He wrote the poem as part of the project, Cardiff Royal Infirmary: People, Place, Future, which was funded by the Arts Council of Wales, and aims to reframe a deeper, more accessible relationship to NHS services for all.

Arts in Health project manager, Melanie Wotton, who commissioned the project, said: “It was a pleasure to work with Duke and his team as part of our Arts Council of Wales funded project, Cardiff Royal Infirmary: People, Place, Future.

“As Cardiff Royal Infirmary becomes a wellbeing hub providing services for some of the most vulnerable in our communities, we wanted to both acknowledge the incredible work of our staff through the COVID-19 pandemic, and to communicate our focus on the wellbeing of our communities, shining a positive light on the times ahead.”

For more information about Unlocked and other projects the Arts for Health and Wellbeing Programme are currently working on, or to make a donation, visit cardiffandvale.art.