Neonatal Unit, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
In 2019 I was delighted to win a commission by Tayside Heathcare Arts Trust (THAT) to design artwork for the Neonatal Unit Refurbishment in Ninewells Dundee. The project saw the installation of several bespoke pieces throughout eighteen rooms. The work included included: four lightboxes, three wallpaper patterns, six screen patterns, three original screen printed artworks, soft furnishings, nursery signage, decorative window vinyls and over 100 illustrated animals.
I was invited to contribute to the decision making on furnishings and decoration to ensure these were complimentary to the artwork, and created online facebook polls throughout the pandemic which meant that families at home could participate. This was a wonderful and truly collaborative longterm project involving staff, THAT, the architects and families familiar with the unit. Please scroll down to see the scope of the work.
The artwork I designed for the NICU was based on the idea of bringing nature inside: and the names of their three nurseries Tay, Earn and Esk. All of the animals in the unit are ones that you could spot along the riverbanks or roaming wild in Scotland. I wanted them to appear to be working together to build a nest. I used hundreds of feathers, flowers and leaf drawings to link the imagery and to try and create a sense of envelopment and comfort.
Lightboxes
Three large scale lightboxes I designed for the main corridor in the Nicu, inspired by the nursery names. These help to light up the main corridor, aid wayfinding and are part of to the story of nestbuilding, with flowers and feathers drifting across the scenes.
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This lightbox sits directly outside the Tay nursery. The greens and grey blues chosen for this space were inspired by the silvery Tay, and the image I designed for this Lightbox is a view of the river from the reed beds at Errol, looking towards Ninewells hospital and off out to sea. The Tay estuary reed beds (the largest in the UK) are full of incredible wildlife. Rushes, reeds and willow trees, and herons and seals were the inspiration for this part of the NICU.
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The lightbox outside the Earn nursery is a view of the Ross Bridge in Comrie (1792), which sits over the River Earn. The Earn river flows from highland to lowland Perthshire, and for this area I drew a lot of red squirrels, deer, ferns, oak and scots pine branches. The purples and pinks used inside the nursery and in the screen patterns are a nod to our native heathers and harebells.
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There are lots of bird illustrations in and around the Esk nursery. The lightbox outside shows a view of the Montrose Basin, which is home to 80,000 migratory birds. These include the Kingfisher, Curlew, Tern, and Pink Footed Goose. I used lots of birds in and around this nursery and the patterns around the cots were designed using drawings of downy feathers and local blossoms.
Parent Lounge Wallpaper
Quiet Rooms Pattern/ Fabric and Wallpaper
Family Room Pattern / Fabric
Esk Nursery Screen Pattern
Tay Nursery Screen Pattern
Earn Nursery Screen Pattern
Esk Nursery Screen Pattern
Tay Nursery Screen Pattern
Earn Nursery Screen Pattern
Screenprint of Dundee for reception
Wildflower screenprint for family room
Wildflower print for parent lounge
A set of stickers I designed for the expressed milk bottles at Nicu. These help them to be easliy identifiable in the fridge. When they arrive, each family is given a sticker sheet and a corresponding larger sticker for their babies cot.
Click here for a tour…….
