Bethlem Gallery & National Autism Unit | 2026

Commissioned by Bethlem Gallery, this socially engaged commission was developed in collaboration with service users at the National Autism Unit (NAU), Bethlem Royal Hospital. Through a series of co-design workshops, participants shaped every aspect of the final installation, from the colour palette and materials to the scale, placement and visual language of a mural spanning two wings and the central communal area. The finished commission also includes window vinyls, bespoke sculptural cushions and an interactive whiteboard, creating a playful and sensory environment throughout the unit.


Part of a wider initiative exploring how participatory creativity can transform clinical environments, the project evolved through conversation, experimentation and shared decision-making rather than a predetermined design. Across three workshops, participants created the paintings, marks and sculptural forms that informed the final installation, resulting in an artwork that reflects the people who use the space and fosters a genuine sense of ownership.


Client - Socially-engaged project


Kate Watson - Creative Producer 


“Working with Alice Burnhope on the National Autism Unit (NAU) Arts Strategy has been an absolute pleasure. Alice brought exceptional professionalism throughout the project, delivering to agreed timescales and budget while remaining responsive and adaptable as the project evolved.


Alice has a real strength in creating meaningful co-production. She brought a sensitive, calm and experienced approach to working with autistic patients and staff in a complex mental health clinical environment, adapting her workshops and creative process to ensure people could really engage in ways that felt comfortable and genuinely valued. Her ability to balance artistic ambition with the realities of the NAU hospital setting meant every challenge became an opportunity to strengthen the work.


Communication was excellent throughout. Alice worked collaboratively with me as Creative Producer, our Assistant Producer, NAU staff and the Bethlem Gallery and Hospital Estates teams, building positive relationships across the project.

It has been a joy to work with her and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her as both an artist and collaborator."

“It shows the patients that their opinions are valued and that its a project for them to express themselves and have an artwork on the ward that they want . So it’s created ‘for’ and ‘by’ them”

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“One of the patients was pacing restlessly and looked particularly anxious that morning. When we gave him a cushion to feel and examine, he immediately took it with him and hugged it along his body while lying down on the floor in a quiet part of the ward corridor and fell asleep for a while. Later in the day he did the same, but lied down on a couch in the area we were painting. When he woke up he said he needed that cushion... “This is good, helps with my anxiety”