A new commission!
Joe Mellows -the great carpenter that I worked with on the sensory garden- has asked me to collaborate with him on the creation of a memorial tree to be installed in the chapel at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
It's a small project, but the story that prompted it is tragic: Whilst visiting Mozambique three peadeatric nurses doing voluntary work were killed in a road accident. Their colleagues at RBH and Great Ormond Street Hospital wanted to create a memorial, and asked to install a plaque in the chapel. In discussions with Chaplain and the hospital's Arts Manager the idea of creating something that would carry the memory of the story of these nurses and be relevant to other visitors to the chapel. The idea of a carved wooden wall panel in the form of a tree, with blown-glass 'berries' which can be illuminated by visitors in prayer was hit apon.
I'm looking forward to working with Joe again, and having a reason to do some glassblowing in the coming months. We expect to install the project this April.