Field Hospital Study Group at Delfina Foundation: Narrative Report

The first Field Hospital Study Group took place at the Delfina Foundation in London on 29 May 2025. Hosted by artist and designer Andrew Merritt, curator Carolina Lio, and artist Emilio Hernández Martínez, with recorded contributions from Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant (University of Cambridge) and Maya Marshak (Sustainability Institute, South Africa), the session marked the launch of a transnational conversation on the ethics and practice of repair.

Participants explored how Field Hospital: Nurseries for Slow Disasters reimagines field kitchens and field hospitals as tools for ecological and biocultural restoration. The discussion touched on the temporality of “slow disasters,” the role of food as both evidence and medium, and the need for genuinely co-productive methods that bridge artistic, archaeological, and ecological research.

Rather than a formal presentation, the event became a space for shared inquiry, where ideas could be tested collectively and disciplinary boundaries negotiated. It set the tone for future study groups in Cambridge, Oaxaca, and Cape Town, each contributing to the project’s evolving understanding of how art can serve as a framework for environmental and social restoration.

Download the report