Share this page on these sites
Community Atrium Art Project
23 April 2010
From Saturday 13 March to Friday 23 April 2010 the atrium between the Children's Hospital and the West Wing was full of scaffolding. It was there for the installation of a five-storey painting entitled 'KIDS' by world-renowned artist Michael Craig-Martin| on the west wall.
The project has been funded entirely from gifts raised specifically for it, from the Waley-Cohen family and others interested in art, with the support of the artist.
The installation of Michael Craig-Martin's KIDS
|
Felicity Waley-Cohen, who lost her son, Thomas, to cancer five years ago, knows that time spent in hospital should be made as positive as possible. She explains:
'This work of art is going to transform the atrium and more importantly the lives of all those children who look out onto it, sometimes for weeks or even months at a time. It will make the environment as wonderful as the wards and care at the Children's Hospital.'
Michael Craig-Martin said:
'My principal aim has been to transform the bleak view from the windows of the children's wards facing into the atrium. The great height of the wall opposite has made it possible to create an image of immense scale, a highly coloured interplay of objects and giant letters spelling KIDS. I hope it will create a sense of pleasure and wonderment and act as a stimulus to the imagination of all, but particularly for those children confined to the wards, the only place where it will be possible to see the painting properly, at eye level and head-on.'
The project has been funded entirely from gifts raised specifically for it, from the Waley-Cohen family and others interested in art, with the support of the artist, as well as corporate partners such as those listed at the end of the video below.
Many thanks to:
-
Felicity Waley-Cohen
-
Michael Craig-Martin
-
The Alan Cristea Gallery
-
Carillion plc
-
Dulux Decorator Centres
-
Lascaux Paint
-
Stamp Publicite
-
Erica Bolton
-
Abbey Scaffolding
-
The Atrium Café
-
SCCWID
-
The Hospital School
for their tremendous support with this project.
Children's art project
Children in the hospital have been working with local artist Miranda Creswell to create art inspired by the painting and the scaffolding. Children as young as four were involved in the art project – which continued throughout the painting period – and all the work they produced was displayed around the scaffolding area as work progressed.
One young patient said:
'This is a great hospital, a wonderful place that I kind of feel I have grown up with. The creativity here really brings the place to life and adds character and interest – which you simply don’t expect in a hospital'
Lily Warrington, 13, has been under our care since she was eight months old. She said:
'Having lots of interesting things to do is really important for children like me who have to spend a lot of time in hospital, and this art project has been great as it has taken my mind off the pain. I can't wait to see the finished big painting as it can be a bit boring looking out of a window on to a plain wall.'
Katherine Parkins, 14, has recently had surgery. She said:
'When you are in hospital it can be a bit lonely as I am used to having my family and friends around, but today has been fun and doing the art has really helped me keep my mind off the pain after my surgery. It's been good fun and really interesting, pretty cool for a hospital.'
The hospital school is facilitating this workshop thanks to a gift from the charity SCCWID|, which supports the Children's Hospital.
Michael Craig-Martin's KIDS: video
|
The Atrium Café is open:
-
Monday to Friday: 7.00am - 6.00pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9.00am - 4.00pm
The League of Friends| café is also open.
-
Level 1, Children's Hospital
Monday to Friday: 9.30am - 4.00pm
We apologise for any inconvenience our patients, visitors or staff may have experienced during the installation.