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The Proton Beam Therapy Centre (PBTC) at the UCLH Grafton Way Building is the latest of three NHS buildings offering cutting-edge proton beam treatment for complex brain, head and neck cancers.
The centre is housed underground, far away from natural light. Down here, it’s easy to feel isolated, to lose track of time, and to feel sensorially deprived and disorientated. That’s bad for recovery.
"The brilliance of the installation is that it changes slowly imitating the changes of light above ground through out the course of the day. The leaves within it seemingly move and bring some natural joy to this space. Arts in Site have managed to bring nature and light into this space very much for patients and staff benefit. Thank you for bringing this amazing installation to UCLH.”
Guy Noble, Arts Manager, UCLH
Willow leaf shapes have been cut into the Corian material, giving the feeling of sitting under a tree. The “sun” rises in the corner of the room and sets on the opposite side. When you walk into the room, you know instinctively what time of day it is. This promotes a mindful rescue for anyone feeling anxious and dislocated from the outside world.
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The painter John Constable once described the effect of nature and natural light on the soul: “No two days are alike, not even two hours; neither were there ever any two leaves alike since the creation of the world”.
The Proton Beam artwork is programmed to do this idea justice. It constantly shifts and changes, and no two moments feel the same. The room is broken up by a series of vertical timber beams encircling the waiting chairs. The light from the artwork plays between the beams, giving the effect of dappled sun breaking through a glade of trees. You can easily forget you’re five floors underground.
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Clinicians understand the power of this work to put people in mindful states, and they’re planning mediation sessions and yoga in here to help patients achieve a state of calm and acceptance.
Artworks such as these made with light bring together the latest insights in neuroscience with the instinctive approach of artists. It’s a thread of work that we are eagerly pursuing.
Currently we’re producing lightworks for Intensive Care (for patients recovering from comas), and for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Watch this space…
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Project Information
Date
2020
Sector
Healthcare
Service
Cancer, Proton Beam Therapy
Client
University College London Hospitals NHS Trust
Architect
Scott Tallon Walker Architects
Artists
AiS in house
Team
Martin Jones
Awards
EHD Awards
2021
Winner
,
Interior Design & the Arts
