Bit of an odd request. Over the last year or two I’ve spent more time in the local public hospital than I’ve spent in any hospital in my life before (partner was in for 3 months and still attends as an out-patient).
One thing I’ve been struck by is how weird hospital space is. When you’re there at all hours of the day and late into the evening, there are times when it feels like a liminal space, like you could open a door and instead of the carpark, find a completely different world.
And once you’re inside the hospital, it’s almost fractal in design. Every door into a department leads to another, smaller maze of corridors and rooms. And in each of those, you might find a sub-department, where opening a door makes you feel like you’re back at the original entrance again. You always seem to be able to walk much further into a hospital than it seems like there should be room to.
My local hospital is also undergoing renovations and expansion, so half the time when you get there, the layout has changed, or a door or corridor has vanished or appeared. There are sections where the ceiling panels are gone, so it’s all wires, and shut up wings full of old furniture and cables and building supplies.
Then there’s the weirdness of time in a hospital. Anyone who’s ever been in an emergency department, stayed in a hospital for a while, or visited one regularly, can tell you how weird that can be – hours vanish, or drag out for days.
I’d love to read something that deals with the dreamlike weirdness of hospital spaces. Don’t mind if it treats it as supernatural/fantastic, scientific, or mundane and just a bit weird. I just want to see how other people have explored the idea, because it feels like there’s a lot of scope.
by princess_ferocious