Science inspires artworks
As well as co-ordinating monthly exhibitions, ArtCare look after the art that is on permanent display in corridors, waiting areas and departments at Salisbury District Hospital. Artworks make a welcoming environment and help to create a positive atmosphere for everyone. These artworks can also help with finding your way around a large site, add colour to the clinical environment and provide an interesting focus for patients, visitors and staff alike.
They can also provide an insight into the science behind the medicine and treatment provided by the hospital. One such example are the textiles in the Pathology waiting room made by Sarum Quilters. These use symbols that depict various aspects of genetics (chromosomes and DNA) and pathology (viruses and blood cells).
In science images are an important tool to illustrate complex information, they can tell a story of changes over time, as well as describe what you can see when viewing a sample through a microscope.
Many people will be familiar with a patchwork quilt made from different scraps of fabric at home. These artworks deliberately contrast this domestic familiar feeling with creative use of clinical images to help viewers relate to science in a different way. A leaflet guide is available in the waiting room that explains each of the different elements.
Download and view a copy of the Pathology Quilt leaflet that describes the details of the artwork made by Sarum Quilters in 1990s
