Phase one: Art for life
The Art for Life and Capital Projects teams at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust commissioned the following concept for a large mural forming part of the planned work to refurbish Musgrove Hospital’s ‘Old Corridor’, which runs from the Oncology Centre to the Children’s Ward and the Private Parkside Unit.
Concept development
The theme is Endurance and Resilience.
Twelve plants native to the UK and found in Somerset have been identified as focal points to the mural. They are either threatened due to climate change or development, yet still surviving in Somerset, or they are unique in their adaptation to the local landscape. These plants have been chosen to reflect the diversity of the local landscape from the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels to Exmoor, the Northern and Southern uplands and the Somerset coastline.
Information about this theme and the plants selected will be available within the installation. However, of primary importance will be creating a mural that offers a gentle, beautiful and welcoming experience for those travelling along the corridor. Visual cues will help viewers identify local landscapes should they wish to engage more directly with the work.
Thank you to the Somerset Rare Plants Group and Bristol Botanical Gardens for their help in my research for Phase One of this project.
phase two
Coming soon - watch this space. The mural concept will be developed further through patient consultation and participation and will travel along the corridor, starting next to the Oncology Unit and ending next to the Children’s Unit.
This image shows the start of the hospital’s Old Corridor, which runs c. 100m in length. The new space will be warm, welcoming and purvey a sense of calm and openness, identifying with all service users: children, young patients, cancer patients, private patients and general hospital staff and visitors.
