The work “Bed for Jordan Neely” deals with the relationship of the system to the individual through the proposal of a blueprint for a possible bed, one of the thousands that are missing in the New York psychiatric system. Comprised of thirty-six cyanotypes or blueprints, the photographic installation depicts a fragmented, life-size hospital bed shared by many people in need of mental health care.
The work is dedicated to Jordan Neely, a homeless black man with schizophrenia, who was tragically killed by an ex-marine in a subway train. During my visit to New York, I found myself near the place of the murder and days later, I watched protesters swarming the streets of New York carrying signs „Who killed Jordan Neely?” affirming that his death was not an isolated incident but a symptom of a larger, systematic problem.
In articles and reports following the incident, the mayor and the governor both announced plans for the acquisition of new beds which are still missing.
In honouring Jordan Neely’s memory, the imagined bed materializes as a symbolic blueprint, standing as a reminder of shortcomings in mental health care structures and the lack of a support system.

2023