Hospital Mural Artwork — 2 x Design Briefs
The commission included work for two paediatric departments within Bristol Dental Hospital, each with a specified theme:
1. Childrens Dental Theatre – The Antarctic
2. Child Dental Health – Woodland & Seasons
An initial staff consultation phase helped give a sense of how the staff of both departments wanted the new artwork to enhance their working environments and improve the spaces for patients and their families.
Ideas from the staff consultation that helped to inform my designs:
- For the general vibe of the artwork to be welcoming, friendly, colourful, fun & engaging
- For the artwork to help evoke feelings of happiness, calm and distraction
- That the overall purpose of the artwork was to engage and distract patients
- For there to be a good amount of detail to focus on, without becoming too intrusive
Consultations can take different forms, in this case we simply asked members of staff for their thoughts, and to select words which described what they wanted from the designs — A straight forward approach, but a very important part of the process.
Childrens Dental Theatre — The Antarctic
The brief builds on what has proven to be a popular theme, with this department previously having had temporary vinyl stickers of penguins and an under the sea mural.
I was asked to develop a more cohesive scheme, with a large number of artworks to be applied to walls and windows.
NOTE: This work has been installed but I only have a few In situ photos so far, more will be added to the case study when I have them!
The colourful and fun designs help to create a friendly, welcoming environment, with penguins and other Antarctic characters helping to lead patients through their treatment journey.
As an additional directive I was asked to include a discreet reference to Glastonbury Festival within the designs. The project has kindly been funded by them through BWHC.
For the Antarctic theme I imagined a Mobile Dental Treatment Pod, akin to an Antarctic Research Station, complete with base camp and obligatory flags. Fun details which also helped me introduce more colour into the designs.
Consultancy Room Glazing
The Recovery Area comprises of 3 bays with beds for patients to recover after being in Theatre.
The glazed panel (above) and the external windows (shown below) give the sense of being in an underwater space, and returning to the surface.
The penguin characters, add fun and are positioned as a point of focus — they’re printed on ceiling tiles above, as if peering down through circular holes in the ice!
End of Recovery Seating Area
Carys was extremely easy to work with and listened to our needs on this project. Staff and patients enjoy seeing the new art work and our real favourite piece is the glass screen at the end of recovery. We are forever grateful for the amazing working environment Carys has created.
Kerry Stewart
Arts & Culture, UHBW NHS Foundation Trust
Child Dental Health — Woodland
I was briefed to create new designs with a woodland and seasons theme, to complement existing murals of trees and seasonal scenes within the department.
There is one continuous mural which extends from the waiting area to the doorway through to treatment rooms, and 4 columns within the waiting area/reception space.
The designs have been created to be colourful and welcoming without being overly childish in style. This is to ensure the work is appealing for all ages, as adult and older children attend this department as well as younger patients.
The colour palette reflects the different seasons, with trees and nature elements combined in a playful way, to loosely convey the idea of a woodland scene. With a subtle sense of moving through the seasons — Left to right: Spring, Summer, Autumn Winter, there are small details such as woodland characters to spot within the overall design.
Again, there was the request to include a subtle reference to Glastonbury Festival who have provided funds for this project. You’ll see a cluster of tents and flags in the far woodland and I extended the general vibe to take in a personal inspiration of mine, yarn bombing 😀
There are four columns, with designs or colour applied to each side.
Each column represents a different season — Clockwise from bottom left: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Below: A rough visual to show how the columns are positioned, with the mural design around the doorway beyond.
Carys’s illustrations have had a huge positive impact in improving the space, it now feels like a children’s waiting room – bright, colourful and really engaging. Carys was very professional throughout the project, we were kept up to date with designs and sketches throughout. It has been great to see the installation completed, the artwork really has made such a difference!
Nina Sharp
Arts & Culture, UHBW NHS Foundation Trust
Interested to see more Hospital Mural Artwork?
Bristol & City Life Art prints and wall design, again for the UHBW Arts & Culture Team, completed straight after the Bristol Dental Hospital work
Art and Wayfinding An extensive series of Brighton themed mural artworks for BSUH NHS Trust
