FIVE MAJOR ART COMMISSIONS UNVEILED AT THE NEW CANCER CENTRE AT GUY’S HOSPITAL
- Roman boat (AD 190-225) buried beneath the building inspires sculpture at entrance
- New building, which weighs as much as The Shard, will house stacked ‘villages’ for patients and visitors, connected by experiential ‘Hanging Gardens’ lifts, with walls inspired by The Magic Mountain novel and art directed by Pentagram.
Permanent installations by five leading international artists will be revealed to the public with the opening of the new Cancer Centre at Guy’s, set to open to the first patients on 26 September 2016.
Designed by architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and specialist healthcare architect Stantec, the Cancer Centre building weighs more than its neighbour, The Shard.
Bringing most of Guy’s and St Thomas’ cancer treatment and research under one roof, the centre is made up of a number of stacked ‘villages’, each relating to a particular area of treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Each village has its own distinct design identity, with five contemporary art installations complementing the architectural design and creating a unique and welcoming environment for this important health service.
The artworks form part of a £1.7 million Arts Programme, curated and delivered by Futurecity, commissioned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and donations from generous supporters.
Futurecity’s Arts Programme brings together the internationally acclaimed artists Daniel Silver, Gitta Gschwendtner, Angela Bulloch, Karel Martens and Mariele Neudecker. The artists consulted with the design team, staff and patients to produce works that respond to the building’s award-winning design and service ethos.
Daniel Silver, Boat 2016: The Roman boat (AD 190-225) buried almost five metres beneath the Cancer Centre is the inspiration for this 3m bronze sculpture which stands at the entrance.
Mariele Neudecker, Hanging Gardens: Parallel Lives_1.39m, 9.78m, 22.59m, 30.79m, 37.26m, and 42.0m, 2016: Audio-visual artwork inside the lifts invokes the internal growth patterns of a stable rainforest as a parallel to the dense ‘urban jungle’ of Central London. The journey takes passengers from deep in the forest floor through the dense layers of forest, to above the jungle canopy.
Gitta Gschwendtner, Genius Loci, 2016: Furniture scheme, which includes tall- backed seating clusters that provide privacy while providing a striking addition to the building’s iconic architecture, and ‘welcome’ tables and chairs that break up the traditional reception desk model.
Angela Bulloch, Radiance, 2016: Light sculptures, which hang within the double or triple height spaces of each main village atria. The sculptures perform ‘visual music’, running through the building.
Karel Martens, The Mountain, 2016: Inspired by Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, the lift lobby walls are covered in fragments of mountain landscapes, using the artist’s signature technique of transforming images into patterns of coloured pixels. Acclaimed design consultancy Pentagram art directed this graphic piece.
The Arts Programme aims to transform the experience of those undergoing cancer treatment through high-quality, specially commissioned culture. It has been informed by a large body of evidence suggesting that art can contribute to better health and wellbeing; helping reduce stress, aid recovery and reduce the length of hospital stays.
Patients have been at the heart of the development of the Arts Programme from concept to delivery through Guy’s and St Thomas’ Cancer Centre Patient Reference and Arts Steering Groups. People affected by cancer and staff working in cancer services helped interview and select the artists and the works for the new building in collaboration with Futurecity, and they have been consulted throughout the development of the artwork designs.
Mark Davy, Futurecity’s Founder, says:
“In an expanding urban world, the arts are more vital than ever as a force to nourish and sustain public places. Investment in culture and communities defines the quality of a place. It shows an intelligence and confidence on the part of the commissioning body, who have understood in this case the powerful link between beautiful, original and positive environments, and the provision of world-class care.”
Of the Boat sculpture at the entrance, Roy Stephenson, Head of Archaeological Collections at Museum of London, says: “’Sometimes the archaeologist is regarded as the absolute voice of authority, but someone like Daniel Silver, an artist, can actually create an alternative story – a different vision, a different view of what happened, but at the same time is grounded in the evidence.”
Liz O’Sullivan, Arts Manager at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, says: “Guy’s and St Thomas’ has a long history of using arts to improve health by enhancing the healthcare environment for our patients, staff and visitors.
“It is a privilege for us to have worked with world-class artists on a patient-led arts programme for our new Cancer Centre which fits perfectlywith our ambition to be a provider of world-class cancer services for patients from south east London and beyond.
“The art in the new Cancer Centre is the direct result of feedback from our patients and staff – and we hope that everyone who is treated in, visits or works in the building will enjoy the finished works.”
Kieron Boyle, Chief Executive, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, says: “As a charity, we passionately believe in the power of the arts to improve people’s health. We hope our support will enable the new Cancer Centre at Guy’s to transform the experience of people undergoing cancer treatment. Being treated for cancer can be one of the most difficult times in someone’s life, the varied arts programme embedded in the fabric of this landmark new building should give people a chance to contemplate, rest and be inspired.”
Media enquiries
For images, interview requests or further information: Claire Thomas, Futurecity [email protected] | 020 7407 0500 | 07877 651 976