In September 2021, Emma Carr, Arts and Creative Health Manager of Frimley Health Charity, Frimley Health Arts contacted me about a potential commission to be funded by https://www.frimleyhealthchari....
A new hospital has been built in Ascot to replace the old Heatherwood Hospital, which had a much-loved chapel with stained glass windows. The charity was very keen to repurpose the four stained-glass panels in an artistic way to give them a new life on the premises of the new hospital. They invited a few artists to submit designs, and I was very pleased when they chose mine:
Oak posts and a mild steel box section reach towards the heavens: reminiscent of the spire of the old chapel. Solid, traditional oak beams contrast with aged, rusted steel to represent the passing of time while the hues of the glass panel move from cold to warm - portraying the cycle of the seasons.
The first phase of the project was to remove, disassemble and clean the four old stained-glass panels of the old chapel:
The frame of reBorn was made and then installed outside the new Heatherwood Hospital:
Then, I made the glass panel from the old chapel’s stained glass:
Finally, the new glass panel was installed to complete the outdoor artwork:
The second part of the project was to add four newly constructed stained-glass panels to the inside of the opaque glass wall of the Reflection Room in the new hospital. The slightly wavy shape of the artwork, reFlect, was designed to soften the sharp angles of the room, and the light coming through evokes the way the old stained glass panels illuminated the altar in the old chapel. The hues of the artwork move from cold from either side to warm in the centre and are in harmony with the glass panel of reBorn, the outdoor sculpture.
Draft design for reFlect
First, I made four individual metal frames for the panels:
Then I created the panels:
Finally, the panels were installed in the Reflection Room:
