Healing Tree

Bronze Public Sculpture (with tree), sited at Antrim Hospital, commission facilitated by British Health Care Arts on behalf of Antrim Hospital Art Commissioning Team, and supported by the Arts Council Northern Ireland and A.B.S.A.This artwork is created in bronze and depicts four life size figures surrounding a living tree. The figures are life-casts, (i.e. actual casts of real people and one of these was the Hospital’s Landscape Architect who wanted to be part of the place that he had designed.) The outer surface of each of the figures has been worked with the leaves from the tree that they surround and protect. In this way they are part of that which they must protect, they are part of nature and not separate from it. They support each other back to back and in this way I intend them to be as vulnerable as nature and rely on each other for mutual support. Little accidents and flaws do occur when making artworks, much like in life. While making this artwork I decided that any flaws within the making process would not be fully mended or hidden. Flaws such as little tears or rips in rubber the moulds or surface blemishes in wax casts would instead be acknowledged within the finished artwork. On each occasion these problem areas were mended by sticking plasters and these can still be found within the finished artwork if one looks carefully.This artwork was an open tender process run in conjunction with Hospital Arts UK, with funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and Antrim Hospital Arts Panel.