This artwork draws conceptually on the notion of organic fluid forms streaming through the order of a structured environment. It works with the idea of branching patterns that can be found at every scale; from the wider Somerset landscape of rivers carving through stone, to the roots of the original Eisenhower tree and the flow of people everyday through the hospital.
The artwork is visually based on plant drawings, responding to the use of water within the courtyard space, inferring the pathways of roots seeking water through rocks. The work, which has been sandblasted into granite sits at the base of a new tree within the space, defining a contemplative area within the heart of the courtyard.
Esther Rolinson says of her work, “I wanted to express the complex networks of people and experiences that are found in the hospital. That in a similar way to the roots of a tree they are searching out nourishment.”
Working with Esther’s design, Stone Circle laid out stencils onto each slab of granite and sandblasted the surface to leave the imprint of the designs in place. The drawn lines were then sprayed white and finally the stencil removed. The work was carried out in the factory, carefully numbered and reassembled on site by specialist fitters.
