Billy Mann and Headway East London
DISCOVERY, 2025
Multimedia
Neurosciences, Royal London Hospital
This vibrant new commission for the neurorehabilitation wards at The Royal London Hospital was created through a remarkable partnership between artist Billy Mann, Headway East London, and Vital Arts. Over several weeks of workshops, patients and staff worked side by side with Billy to create artworks that reflect their experiences of recovery, resilience and connection.
Shaped by lived experience, the project places patients and staff at its heart. Every element - from the colour palette to the design of the dayrooms - was informed by the people who use the space every day. The result is a warm, dynamic environment that feels personal and welcoming, transforming clinical spaces into places of creativity and care.
Patients explored mark making, memory and identity through drawing, painting and collage, contributing their own unique perspectives to the final artworks. These collective pieces now inhabit the dayrooms and corridors, offering points of reflection and colour throughout the wards.
Running along the corridors are Billy’s stitched artworks, selected by a panel of clinical staff. These intricate pieces feature small, labelled leaves and fragments of maps - recurring motifs in Billy’s practice since his own brain injury. The work draws on themes of structure, pattern and play, echoing both the complexity and adaptability of the human brain.
About the artist
Billy Mann is a visual artist and long-standing member of Headway East London’s Submit to Love Studio. Working across drawing, embroidery and collaborative art-making, his practice explores identity, memory and transformation after brain injury.
Stitching became central to his work during lockdown, evolving into a slow, reflective process that bridges structure and spontaneity. His work has been shown at the Barbican and Burgh House, and he continues to challenge ideas around authorship and creative ability.
About Headway East London
Headway East London is a charity dedicated to supporting people affected by brain injury across 13 London boroughs. With a vibrant community at its heart, they offer long-term specialist support such as therapies, advocacy, day services, and creative projects from their Submit to Love art studio.
They believe every survivor has something to contribute, centering co-production, empowerment and creativity in everything they do. Their approach champions lived experience, fostering a space where members, families and staff work side by side to rebuild confidence, connection and a sense of possibility after brain injury.
This project was generously funded by Barts Charity, with additional support from AkzoNobel and Praxis.
