After witnessing bleak conditions inside a mental health unit, artists Tim A. Shaw and Niamh White decided to take action.
Drawing on their background in contemporary art, they set out to transform sterile clinical spaces with bold, thought-provoking artworks, via their charity, Hospital Rooms.
Today, they commission over 40 leading artists a year to create immersive, site-specific pieces in psychiatric hospitals across the UK — from sweeping murals to hands-on workshops that put patients at the heart of the creative process.
But despite critical acclaim, the battle for funding continues — and every brushstroke must be justified to NHS accountants.
In this episode, Tim tells Olly why he won’t let hospitals sell off the valuable artwork he installs; explains why patients should look beyond the ‘recovery tree’; and reveals how his recent experience on pediatric wards has hardened his belief in the healing power of art…
Find out more about Hospital Rooms at https://hospital-rooms.com/
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Meanwhile, in The Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart tries his hand at ‘smart gardening’: growing vegetables without soil.
Is hydroponics a workable alternative to getting an allotment? How much faster is it to grow a tomato indoors? And is the whole trend really just a fig-leaf for at-home cannabis growers?
Ollie has the answers… from a ‘smart bench’.
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Elsewhere, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from attending a provocative menopause seminar - investigates how a Mann-fan can hire sex workers who are into… belching.
With the help of VTuber giantess Ana Valens, Alix uncovers a full-blown subculture in which burps are considered not just bodily functions but sensual, often spontaneous, expressions of intimacy. The appeal, it turns out, is both nostalgic and transgressive… Burp!
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Finally, our Record of the Month is ‘Inland Ocean’ by Matt Berninger, of The National... from his second solo album, Get Sunk - released on May 30.
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Meet Other Mann-Fans on the Modern Mann Discord:
🤹➡️ https://discord.gg/SKHnY6ZB72
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CONTACT US…
If you have a challenge for Ollie, a question for Alix, or some feedback for Olly; if you’d like to nominate yourself as a Mannbassador, or have a suggestion of a future interview for the show, just fill out our Feedback form:
✍️ https://www.modernmann.co.uk/feedback
… and we’ll see you on June 10th!
This episode is supported by Shopify. Dream big, build fast, and grow far with 3 months for just £3 at https://shopify.co.uk/modernmann
Presenter: Olly Mann. Contributors: Tim A. Shaw, Alix Fox, Ollie Peart, Matt Berninger. Producer: Matt Hill. Theme Music: ‘Skies Over Cairo’ by Django Django. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Olly Mann / Rethink Audio 2025
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