112 VISUAL ARTS
‘Tis made a huge difference for the display of artwork, but more importantly for the patient environment,’ says Roberts. Additionally, the renowned visual artist Michael Craig-Martin was invited to help devise a scheme of strong colour accents for the buildings, which denote specific areas such as Outpatients, Paediatrics or Radiotherapy. Vital Arts has also sought to discourage the use of harsh strip lighting in favour of softer alternatives. ‘Lighting is key within hospitals, especially clinical environments like ours, which mostly lack natural light,’ Roberts explains. ‘Interior lighting needs to be sympathetically inter- woven to spatial features to form a positive part of the character and experience of the place.’ Tis has involved sourcing individual lamps for smaller rooms and, when possible, inviting artists to create larger, bespoke solutions, such as Julia Vogl’s light box, Leaves Illuminated (2017), in which backlit layers of screenprinted leaves create a harmonising, contemplative environment for the Bereavement Suite at Whipps Cross Hospital. In 2010, Barts unveiled its new state-of-the- art Cancer Centre, in which light boxes adorned with photographic imagery are set
‘Interior lighting needs to be sympathetically inter-woven to spatial features to form a positive part of the character and experience of the place’
into the ceilings of the radiotherapy department. Titled Looking Up, the project replaces traditional lighting solutions with views of celestial constellations, enchanting tree canopies and moonlit plants by British artists Darren Almond, Susan Derges, Simon Patterson and Sophy Rickett. Te overhead artworks provide a relaxing and calming point of focus for patients who are required to lie still while receiving treatment in the bunker-like spaces of the Linear Accelerator suite. Many have responded favourably, describing the experience as a ‘silver lining’ in repeat treatments. Some patients even request a specific treatment room with a favourite artwork, while others are keen to view all of the illuminated ceilings over the course of their treatment.
Hospital walls and corridors provide opportunities for artists to inject colour and life into otherwise bland interiors. Cecilia Charlton’s installation Stitch Space (2022), for Newham Hospital’s Same Day Emergency Care Department, wraps its pixelated forms around door frames, windows and waiting areas, accompanying patients and staff as they move around the unit. Charlton is known for her richly patterned, multi-coloured embroideries and weavings that playfully manipulate
geometric forms and structures. For this project, she drew inspiration from Bargello, a type of needlepoint thought to have originated in Hungary during the 15th century and which uses flat upright stitches laid in repeating patterns. Translated into vinyl, her gently undulating abstract patterns are complemented by a series of framed works incorporating similar hand-embroidered, ribbon-like forms made with wool. Referencing handicrafts and household materials, they introduce a contemplative domestic dimension, adding to the installation’s overall sense of calm.
In 2011, the product and textile designer Ella Doran worked with the Barts Health procurement team to design furniture and textiles for the children’s wards of the Royal London Hospital. Challenging the conventions of interior design for hospitals, her Bedside Views project includes privacy curtains with playful panoramic views of the Tames in central London, and bedside cabinets decorated with boats, origami planes and clouds. Her pioneering designs even extend to the over-bed tray tables, which similarly bring the outside in with lush garden views. Doran’s intention was to create a positive, non-
Right Hospital walls and corridors provide broad canvases for artists to add a touch of flair and colour to the clinical experience
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