Miller Goodman

Imaginary Menagerie, 2014

Wood, vinyl and paint
Ward 7E, 7th Floor Royal London Hospital

Interested in exploring the intersection between art and toys, designers Zoe Miller and David Goodman of Miller Goodman have taken inspiration from their wooden toy collection PlayShapes – a bag of 74 different shaped wooden pieces that have endless possibilities when played with creatively. Corridors and walls throughout the ward are embellished with their distinctive wooden animals and geometric patterns; from monkeys to giraffes, flowers to hearts. Vinyl and larger wooden artworks feature throughout adding colour and texture to otherwise blank and bare walls.

Zoe Miller and David Goodman said:

“Wood is a traditional warm medium that soulfully ages softening with play. It is traditional and always evokes childhood memories of play. We hope that the mix of bright vinyl colours and wooden characters encourages and entertains the child as well as wishes them a speedy recovery.”

Cornelia Baltes graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art; London in 2011. She has exhibited in solo and group shows at Deichtorhallen Hamburg; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz; Museum Wiesbaden; Chapter Arts Center, Cardiff; Mostyn, Llandudno (Wales); Northern Gallery for Contemporary Arts, Sunderland (UK), ICA London, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Kunsthalle Nuremberg; Museum Folkwang (Essen), Museum Kunst Palast Dusseldorf among many others.

Photography by Jess Bonham