works
Cocoon
Plywood, paint, laquer, upholstered pads, firbeoptic lighting, USB portsCocoon is a piece of furniture made for a spot between wards at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The work was made to my design by Matt Kelly at Plaey, with upholstery by Bluebird Upholstery. Cocoon was made in response to the wishes voiced by parents in a research phase (see below). Cocoon is a space, opposite the visitor kitchen, designed for parents and families visiting the hospital to allow them to rest and get some headspace. It is also a place to meet other families to share experiences and support each other. The space is designed for one person/adult and child reclining or three people seated facing each other and the recess also allows easy access for wheelchair-users. Cocoon has fibreoptic twinkling lights that create a non-typical (within the hospital) low-light space as well as two USB ports for phone charging and a slot for a publication produced as part of the project, which shares parents knowledge for the parent of newly-admitted children.
Artists and scholars Brian Lobel and Emily Underwood-Lee began the work with their project ‘Kicking Up Our Heels’ - one of the first art projects ever commissioned by GOSH to focus on the experience of parents/carers in hospital, Kicking Up Our Heels employed one-to-one performance methodologies to create an innovative and unusual bedside intervention performed too 100+ carers and patients. I took these findings and created this installation, with Plaey, in response.
