Pocketful of Sunshine Sunflower Sculpture

The Brief

Hospital Art Studio has been a long-time partner of ours, collaborating on a collection of artistic and thought-provoking art installations. Hospital Art Studio is driven by the belief that art is a universal language that can bring comfort and solace to individuals facing healthcare challenges. Imageco has supported them with the creation of trees that symbolise the renewal of life or archways encased in forget-me-nots and butterflies. This time we were tasked with creating a suspended sunflower sculpture at the entrance of the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Birmingham. The sunflower sculpture was designed to capture both the beauty and symbolism of a sunflower in full bloom, a powerful metaphor for life and renewal through organ donation.

An Illuminating Sunflower Sculpture

The 3-metre sunflower was to be suspended from the ceiling and encompassed 38 hand-made petals crafted from lightweight metal with a golden brass finish. To give the sculpture its welcoming glow, seven illuminated seed-like luminaires were suspended from the flower head, each representing a sunflower seed ready to fall. As these seeds ‘fall’ they embody the concept of creating new life, echoing the ongoing legacy of those who chose to give through organ donation.
The sunflower was also accompanied by a wall signage installation of two messages; “In summer the sunflower’s vivid flames greet the sun, while in autumn its abundant seeds hang heavy, ready to fall and gift a life for the season to follow.” and “Organ donation is an act of great kindness that can save and offer continuing life to many people.”
The final piece of the puzzle was the plaque for the art installation signifying the meaning behind the sunflower signage to any hospital visitor.

Blossoming CAD Designs

Taking the artistic drawings from Hospital Art Studio, our specialist CAD engineer Matty carefully designed the structure of the sunflower, establishing the main body size and the interlocking components. Matty was able to conceptualise 3D visions that showed what the structure would look in real life, which he was able to share with Hospital Art Studio to assess before we moved into production to avoid any redoes.

Meticulous Material Choice

Both the main body and petals were made from aluminium with a painted coating of bronze paint, to give it a golden glow. As these are intended to be permanent art installations, it was integral that we chose a material that would be long-lasting and durable. We also intertwined an acrylic sheet with the aluminium to diffuse the light sheet. Each petal that formed the sunflower sculpture was laser cut then bent and formed using various metal fabrication processes and spot welding. To build the lettering signage, each individual letter was laser cut from brass sheet and then glued to the wall.

Art Installation

Due to the intricacies of the art installation, this project spanned a full year from the initial consultation to the final installation. For the installation, we prepared for the complexities that come with installing within a busy hospital environment, from health and safety procedures, to being flexible with the installation time to ensure minimal disruption to the hospitals day-to-day operations. As always, when the final installation took place, the client was overwhelmed with the result, seeing their floral display take centre stage.