John Vella’s Public Art Commission for the Royal Hobart Hospital is now installed. The works were inspired by John and his wife’s experiences in the paediatric wards of Sydney and Hobart hospitals. Their son Vincenzo was born with some complications and has been operated on several times. The work also refers to the practice of placing objects in a church as offerings, a practice common in John’s Maltese background.

Lifelines is inspired by the meditative, nurturing quality of a cave or a grotto. It is intended to activate the space via texture, colour and line in such a way as to reference the domestic (via the frames) and a spiritual place (see also stained glass).

Graduate Gallery incorporates photo frames with perspex doors to allow hospital staff to add photos of their ‘graduates’.

Both works are a ‘thank you’ to the hospital staff as well as a tribute to Vincenzo. They are in the Neonatal & Paedriatric ICU at the RHH.

For information about the Public Art program, click here.

At the top is Lifelines (left - detail)
laser etched laminex, found photoframes, plywood, perspex and adhesive vinyl

Above is Graduate Gallery (right - detail)
hinged perspex ‘doors’, found photoframes, adhesive vinyl and patient photographs

(Photos by Lucia Rossi)

Matt Coyle’s graphic novel Worry Doll has been awarded the Best Graphic Novel/Comic Artist prize for 2007 by the Canadian magazine Rue Morgue.

Matt’s drawing Dream 2 (above) has also been shortlisted for the London International Creative Competition for 2008, and will be included in their annual publication.

Click here to see the shortlist.