Commissions

The Charity has agreed a policy of committing 1% of the budget on all capital and refurbishment projects it funds to add an art and design component.

• Assisted Conception Unit
• St Thomas' Bereavement Centre
• Gracefield Gardens
• Sunshine House
• Camberwell Sexual Health Centre
• Boiler Suit
• Evelina Children's Hospital

St Thomas' Bereavement Centre
Visitors to St Thomas' Bereavement Centre are being greeted by a soothing vista of glasswork created by artist Karen Lawrence.

The 'Waterscape' glass installation was commissioned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity as part of the King’s Fund Enhancing the Healing Environment initiative, and reflects a natural world theme.

Karen took as her starting point the elements earth, water and air, while also looking at geological imagery, rock pools and the soothing motion of slow moving water. She said: "I believe it is the first time that the ‘paté de verre’ technique I use - normally employed just for small vessels because it is so delicate - has been used in this way. I felt it was important that the lines of the design work as an uninterrupted vista that can be observed from either end of the approaching corridors. I hope to have introduced a feeling of an ebb and flow across the glass to create a meditative atmosphere rather that to treat each panel as a separate entity.”

The Charity's brief to Karen emphasised that the hospital serves a diverse hospital community, and the final work needed to be contemplative and without religious overtones.

Gracefield Gardens
The gracious oak benches commissioned by the Charity for the courtyard at Gracefield Gardens were designed and made by Angus Ross as the result of a competition with several artists submitting proposals.

Angus is a well known furniture maker whose work has featured in other healthcare settings. The five benches are made from solid oak and the waving arms have been capped with specially designed copper capped finials.

The scheme has been completed by the introduction of topiary plants and mirrored balls in the planters.

Sunshine House
Sunshine House (the new Southwark Child Development Centre) is home to a stunning array of new site specific art commissioned by the Charity. Rotterdam based artist Milou van Ham's text-based artwork and Jacqui Poncelet's architectural interventions were selected to give a unique twist to the building.

Milou involved children using the services in defining the themes and words for her sculptures, deciding on `Hide and Show’ for the three internal voids. Her series of aluminium and steel sculptures, glazed with powder paint, are suspended from the ceiling and attached to walls, making them visible from the basement, ground and first floors.

Jacqui Poncelet worked closely with architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris to develop useful way finding beacons for children, their parents and visitors. Outside the building some of the walkway bricks are turned on their sides revealing their interior holes, which have been filled with bright blue terrazzo, and brightly coloured kick and push plates on doors, which link with the interior design, help make doors leading to key service areas more memorable, whilst non service areas are stainless steel.

Additionally, large graphic panels in primary colours are adorned with brightly coloured magnetic dots and squares. Children are encouraged to use the magnets to secure their own art works created in the waiting areas.

Modus Operandi were the art consultants on this project, liaising with the artists, architects and Charity to ensure that the project fulfilled the creative brief.

Boiler Suit
Designer Thomas Heatherwick has helped transform the entrance to Guy’s Hospital as part of a major £2 million project to improve the area.

The exciting scheme is his studio’s first commission for the NHS and brings together a huge number of improvements which will benefit patients, visitors and staff alike. These include widened pavements for better pedestrian access; a one-way traffic system with designated drop off points; improved signage and lighting; and a new shop for the Friends of Guy’s Hospital.

At the centre of the scheme is the Boiler Suit, a unique façade designed to encase the boiler house which powers Guy’s Hospital. The Boiler Suit is made up of 108 undulating tiles of woven stainless steel braid and is illuminated at night to provide a distinctive welcoming beacon for staff and visitors arriving in the dark.

The scheme was awarded the Judges prize for "services to the healthcare environment" at the 2007 Building Better Healthcare Awards.

The project has been made possible thanks to funding from Pool of London Partnership, the Charity and the Friends of Guy’s Hospital.

The Evelina Children’s Hospital
The Charity awarded £50 million towards the cost of building the new Evelina Children’s Hospital. Art installations on site form part of the Charity’s commitment to setting art and design budgets for its projects.

The new hospital opened on 31st October 2005 with a dazzling array of artworks in situ. Download the 'Evelina Children's Hospital art collection' brochure featuring photos and descriptions of the hospital's installations.

"My son Alexander spent two hours on the Evelina’s fantastic Starslide. It’s a brilliant idea, and a marvelously entertaining piece of art. The slide made our visit so much more fun and easier in this time of worry."
Daryl Jones, parent