Rowan Ward, Summerlands

The artist’s brief was to initially develop concept designs for artwork to form part of the scheme to redevelop inpatient mental health facilities on Rowan Wards 1 & 2 at Summerlands Hospital site in Yeovil. Following consultation and engagement with the staff team, service users and the project team detailed designs were created by project artist, Alison Milner, and the project moved into the implementation phases that resulted in the creation of artworks that were embedded and integrated into the overall design of this redevelopment scheme.

The artist, Alison Milner described her work on the project “I worked out a colour scheme early in the project in consultation with the Unit staff, it was inspired by the Rowan Tree and Somerset. I wanted to use the colours in the artwork, furniture and finishes rather than on the walls as repainting walls is much more practical and economical if they are all white.

When I saw the drawings of these corridors I was initially flummoxed as they were almost entirely made up of locked security doors but then I talked to the builders (via Art for Life) and asked if we could customise the cupboard doors with the scheme colours. I also designed small enamel number plates for the doors which were manufactured by A J Wells. Having an image, a name and a number makes it much easier for the individual patients to remember which of the identical doors is theirs!

There was a budget for the whole project, we decided that some of it should be spent on enhancing the staff spaces so that they feel different from the patient’s spaces. I designed a rather homely and domestic wallpaper based on the Rowan theme.

For all the Communal Patient Spaces I designed large colourful panels, some in plywood and some in lovely glossy vitreous enamel. I tried to match the mood of the panels to how the spaces would be used… thus- the first is for the games and activities room , the second for the dining room, the third for the women’s quiet room and the last one for a Faith room . There are twenty of these panels altogether. The two large plywood panels were the first pieces installed in the refurbished Unit.”