CREATE HIGH QUALITY HEALTHCARE ENIVIRONMENTS

Artist Esther Hardie was commissioned to look at ideas for artwork from the patients and staff who were to be housed in a brand new Cystic Fibrosis Unit. The majority agreed that they wanted something bright, fresh and modern. Influenced by her interest in the natural environment and informed by her understanding of colour, Esther has managed to bring a sense of light, horizon and nature into the unit.

As well as advising on colour throughout the unit, Esther created as series of stunning light boxes or Portholes, for the circulation spaces in the unit, designed to literally light the way into the unit. She also utilised photographs of the grounds of the hospital to create an abstracted pattern based on trees, making curtains which designed to hang as panels - to be a 'picture' in the space of the bedrooms. The curtains bring the outside inside, reflecting back the sources for the colours of the unit.

Finally patients collaborated to develop and manufacture the mosaic artwork around the unit. The panels and table add a splash of colour and a personal touch. Each panel is the work of a patient and was made during workshops on site during the summer.

"I was particularly impressed with the grounds of the hospital and its proximity to Victoria Park. I wanted to express something that reflected that, which was quite organic, fluid and fresh."
Esther Hardie. Artist