VISUAL ARTS 111
capital, the charitably funded organisation has developed innovative art strategies, ranging from site-specific commissions for single rooms to entire clinical units and expansive new buildings, such as the 17-storey PFI addition to the Royal London, which opened in 2012, and the ambitious new Whipps Cross Hospital, still in development. For more than a quarter of a century, Vital Arts has been dispelling the notion that hospitals are dreary places, filled with drab waiting areas and soulless treatment rooms. As the organisation’s director Catsou Roberts explains, these are ‘key municipal spaces that
form part of the civic complex and, like schools, town halls, libraries and public museums, are meant to welcome and serve the community.’ To that end, Vital Arts is on a mission to ensure that good art and design is utilised to enhance the clinical experience and create a harmonious and cohesive atmosphere throughout. Tis is not about hanging a few choice pictures between notice boards, rather it is about developing hospital-wide strategies in which world class art is integrated into clinical environments so that ‘a bridge is formed between art scepticism and the eye-catching, mind-tingling experience that art can ignite.’
Te site-specific projects commissioned by Vital Arts emerge from intense involvement with the hospital context. Site visits (or the study of architectural plans, if a building is still in development) are essential to the process, as are discussions with clinicians and service users in order to gather information about patient demographics, frequency of visits, the types of conditions being treated and the likely psychological impact that an artwork will have on those using a particular ward or unit. ‘We will also be calculating how any artwork might cross someone’s field of vision,’ explains Roberts. ‘An artwork in a corridor observed by patients rushing to an appointment will have entirely different implications than an artwork within an isolation room, where patients are confined for days, sometimes weeks. Ultimately, the aim is to assist expeditions of the imagination’.
Consideration of interior design is integral to the work of Vital Arts, which takes a holistic approach to all its projects. ‘It’s never about presenting single, autonomous artworks in isolation,’ says Roberts. ‘Rather, we consider overall design and architecture, as well as the social and physical environment of the surrounding locale. It’s about an art and design strategy that runs throughout the entire space.’ Tis involves taking the patient’s whole journey into account, from their first impressions on entering the department, through to the reception, waiting and treatment areas and, finally, to discharge and exit. While the ideal is for artworks to be embedded into the fabric of the hospital, this is
Left There is a world of difference between art utilised in spaces where visitors pass through quickly, and where they will spend a lot of time waiting
Right Having a scan is ordinarily a dull experience, but it can be livened up with creative use of ceiling space
not always possible with older buildings. New builds, however, offer many exciting opportunities and whenever there is a new refurbishment project or construction within one of the Trust’s hospitals, Vital Arts works closely with the architects to discuss how and where artworks might be integrated into the site. Roberts’ team are also involved in specifying flooring, finishes, wall colours and furniture (although the selection is usually limited to a narrow list of NHS-approved suppliers), all of which will serve as a backdrop to the planned art strategy.
In the case of the PFI buildings at Barts and Te Royal London, Vital Arts successfully lobbied against the standard NHS blue palette that had been specified for the interiors, introducing an alternative selection of soft, warm colours to the floors, railings and walls.
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