Arboreal (2010)

Cut vinyl, lightboxes & animated projections

Arboreal came out of the desire to bring an element of the outdoors into the x-ray department of Woodend.

When I initially visited the site, the cherry blossom in the nearby quad was due to be felled and staff to lose their view of the tree from their windows. This artwork seemed like an opportunity for staff and patients to retain a referance to the tree and to the curving lines of nature in their daily routine.

The trees were adapted from photographs I took on the coastal plain of Fife, between St Andrews and the village of Anstruther, where I finally found trees that had been sculpted by strong winds and consequently had a more interesting shape to them. The lightboxes on the walls of the waiting rooms are original x-ray viewing boxes from the department, from the pre-digital era.

The artwork was designed on computer, then sent to an industrial signage company for cutting. I then applied the vinyls like giant stickers, adding in the flying, swooping, diving birds to animate the space. Silver and petrol blue were chosen to complement the yellow of the waiting room walls. In the ultra-sound rooms, two animations by Monika Dutta are projected across the walls and ceiling, showing the cherry blossom falling and birds flitting about the waving branches; giving patients something to watch and relax with during examinations.

Susan Grant

Artist