Sculptural Installation, Reception, The Curve, Prestwich

The final and perhaps the most significant piece was a sculptural installation for the entrance foyer/ main reception area. This was totally outside of my previous artistic experience but the concept was borne as the result of much discussion around the notion of ‘Recovery,’ which is ultimately the purpose of the building.
Combining the drawings I had made from a life drawing workshop, which I’ve involved myself in as an alternative challenge to my usual painting and with having seen a small Perspex installation in another location where I had been working, I could visualise the potential of this combination to produce a statement piece.

From my drawings from the model, who worked wonderfully well with me in the almost theatrical positioning of herself to show the 4 positions which would symbolise ‘recovery’, each figure was digitally cut from coloured, frosted Perspex. They were each 4ft. high and mounted on a white Perspex panel 5ft.high x 9ft. long and to be fixed to the wall some 3ft. above the floor.

Whilst this installation looked impressive, I wasn’t happy about the static nature of the whole piece and after much inspirational thought and technical advice from the manufacturers of the sculpture, GJPlastics in Radcliffe, we finally devised a series of coloured LED lights, fixed to a further back panel and with the lights moving in a sequentially range of colours, complementary to the individual colour of the figures. These lights would never be switched off during the open time of the building and that provided the finishing touch which animated my sculpture.

The piece is called ‘The Journey’ and is symbolic, not only of the road to recovery ,but also to my own experience of creating these pieces for this hospital.