THE BEATING HEART OF SOUTHSEA
H
er doors may have been closed to the public since the end of March… but that hasn’t stopped the Queens Hotel from being a hive of activity during the coronavirus lockdown. From offering respite and solace to NHS workers on the frontline, to being the focus for a community cooking project that has seen many hundreds of meals for vulnerable people prepared at the Queens Hotel, she has remained the beating heart of Southsea. The love for her community has literally radiated from the walls with weekly projection mapping events to show our appreciation for the NHS and all key workers.
working with Samsung on a digital technology interactive graffiti wall. Each image is unique with a different reflection in the pupil capturing a special moment in time. “The reflection is rather special because it captures the seafront complete with pier, and I’ve earned myself points for being a good husband by including a silhouette of my wife and I from a photo my son took of us recently at the beach. “Coming out of the lockdown, I hope this captures the need we’ve all had to be with the ones we love,” he said.
As the hotel prepares to welcome guests for their new look garden events from July 4, there is a real buzz around the hotel once more. A dramatic new piece of street art has arrived at the Queens Hotel, thanks to Southsea based artist My Dog Sighs.
Photo by Jon Tyrrell
Looking back over the last few months of lockdown, it was clear that preparing to close as the pandemic took hold was one of the toughest challenges for the management team. A skeleton staff has helped to ensure the safety and comfort of NHS guests who began arriving in April. Measuring a whopping 20m x 20m, the distinctive eye will be watching over the beautiful Queens Hotel garden, and it is also visible from further afield. “Passengers on the hovercraft from the Isle of Wight spotted the design taking shape and cycled over to have a chat with me,” quipped My Dog Sighs, who has painted murals across the globe in the USA, China, Italy, Israel, Korea, and Australia. His eye design has won My Dog Sighs a global audience of admirers and recent commissions have included
Managing Director Farid Yeganeh, explained: “As soon as we went into lockdown, we felt we really wanted to do something to help, and so we offered our rooms to NHS staff. “We wanted to make a meaningful contribution to staff who were quite literally saving lives during the pandemic.” Nurse Gemma Powell was living at the Queens Hotel for nearly two months, while caring for patients on the Respiratory High Care ward at Queen Alexandra Hospital. She could not go home as she was working in a
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