Using Artwork to Honour Unsung Heroes

Taking inspiration from the incredible work happening with the organ donation team at Airedale Hospital, Hospital Art Studio’s design used the “Tree of Life” symbol as the core idea for this installation. With its imagery firmly rooted in renewal, the tree of life not only gave an opportunity to bring nature into the wing, but also represented the gift of life given by past donor patients.

Keeping the tree of life in mind for inspiration, it was decided that the project should give a British twist to the traditional tree of life symbol, by transforming it into the mighty oak tree. Mounted on a main wall in Airedale Hospital, the oak’s tree branches climb over a clear blue sky, giving viewers the feeling of standing safe underneath a forest canopy. To allow the sign to transform over time, the 180 autumnal leaves will gradually be replaced by fresh green acrylic leaves, as a marker of the renewal of spring and new life. Each of these bright green leaves will feature the name of a selfless donor who has given someone new life within the hospital walls, each individually engraved. Overtime the oak will transform from warm reds to spring green in a breath-taking display of the new life given by the selflessness of donors.

To achieve this bespoke artwork, we used a base panel of aluminium composite bonded to polycarbonate to ensure the longevity of the piece within the hospital environment. With its ability to be wiped clean and disinfected, this material is perfect for hospitals. The oak tree of life design was then reverse digitally printed directly to acrylic and mounted to the base. The autumnal leaves were printed onto ACM and cut with a Zünd digital cutting machine to shape in clear lacquer. Giving a beautiful shine to the display.

In a bid to not displace any patients or get in the way of the hard-working hospital staff, we ensured that the artwork was turned around in record time. With the help of our expert team of technicians, we performed a pre-site assessment that allowed us to assemble a large portion of the installation prior to fitting. Allowing us to minimise disruption to patients, while giving maximum impact.