During lockdown in 2020 while physical communication was scarcely possible, Kate had the idea to expand her poem “Keepers of the States of Sleep and Wakefulness, fragment from a Masque” by adding visual and audio accompaniment.

Her impulse was to pay tribute to NHS nurses, adding to the nationwide good-will for those dealing first-hand with the difficulties of Covid-19. Kate draws upon her own experience with NHS nurses in this poem, a memory of a hallucinatory blend of fever and quarantine, aided by nurses whose presence ultimately resembled Goddesses as she recovered health.

Entwined with allusions to isolation expressed in The Tempest, Kate was intrigued by the “Masque” featuring in that text, which led to the discovery of Inigo Jones’ wonderful illustrations. These were costume/character designs for the varied performances that comprised the Masque. Kate’s key idea was to use these characters to visually represent each of the nurses described in her poem.

Kate had the vision to bring all these elements together, but lacked the immediate computing means. I had no editing experience but embraced the challenge, especially once I read the poem and heard Kate’s exquisite recital.

We were able to work together by email – I followed guidance from Kate to begin compiling it and sent draft versions periodically, to get further feedback and share ideas.