Art in the hospital

Vital Arts have commissioned an array of award winning international artists and designers to liven up the wards at The Royal London Children’s Hospital.

Vital Arts, Morag Myerscough, ward 7 detail

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The Royal London Children’s Hospital officially opened in March 2012 and over the past two years Vital Arts have been working with a variety of critically acclaimed artists and designers to transform the walls of the children’s wards through pioneering and innovative design within a hospital environment.

Vital Arts, Morag Myerscough, 2012, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Gareth Gardner. Top: detail

With 130 beds across five wards and covering London’s busiest paediatric Accident & Emergency department, The Royal London Children’s Hospital, run by Barts Health NHS Trust, is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the UK, caring for more than 40,000 children and young people each year from London, Essex and across the UK and Europe.

Miller Goodman, Imaginary Menagerie 2014. Photography Jess Bonham — Vital Arts, Miller Goodman, Imaginary Menagerie 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

It is well documented in medical research that children find visiting hospital, no matter how routine the visit or how often they come, a frightening and stressful experience. Art has proven throughout paediatric hospitals all over the world, to be an invaluable aid for staff in either distracting children, or positively engaging children receiving sometimes painful and frightening treatments by supporting the individual needs of each patient. Through consultation with medical staff and patients Vital Arts have commissioned artists and designers that showcase dynamic design whilst meeting the patient’s needs.

Vital Arts, Donna Wilson, Painted Landscapes, 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Joe Clark

Commissioned artists and designers that feature across the five wards throughout The Royal London Children’s Hospital are: artist Morag Myerscough, textile artist Donna Wilson, wooden toy designers Miller Goodman, product designer Tord Boontje, children’s author, illustrator and rug designer Chris Haughton and surface and textile designer Ella Doran.

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Vital Arts, Chris Haughton, Animals!, 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

Vital Arts, Chris Haughton, Animals!, 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

Vital Arts, Chris Haughton, Animals!, 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

Vital Arts, Morag Myerscough, 2012, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Gareth Gardner

Vital Arts, Morag Myerscough, 2012, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Gareth Gardner

Vital Arts, Morag Myerscough, 2012, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Gareth Gardner

Vital Arts, Donna Wilson, Painted Landscapes, 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Joe Clark

Vital Arts, Miller Goodman, Imaginary Menagerie 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

Vital Arts, Miller Goodman, Imaginary Menagerie 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

Vital Arts, Tord Boontje, Happy Day, 2013, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Gar Powell-Evans

Vital Arts, Ella Doran, Bedside Views, 2012, The Royal London Children’s Hospital

Vital Arts, Chris Haughton, Animals!, 2014, The Royal London Children’s Hospital. Photography Jess Bonham

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