SHINE – The Healing Power of Light at Nepean Hospital
Artist Jade Oakley explains, “The purpose of art in a hospital is escapism and to give people a sense of peace, joy, and wonder. I love to make artwork that makes people feel good and that’s uplifting and joyful…”
Hundreds of tensioned stainless steel cables with brightly coloured PVC coating form the large-scale, site-specific sculpture ‘Shine’. The work is dramatically suspended across the internal courtyard of the new Nepean Hospital, making the artwork visible from all floors of the building.
“Shine” represents sunbeams embracing across a chasm in the Blue Mountains, to evoke feelings of happiness, peace and wellbeing. The artwork, commissioned by Health Infrastructure for the Nepean Hospital NSW, is intended to capture the beauty of the Blue Mountains into the experience of the Hospital, providing moments of connection to nature, delight and playfulness.
The beautiful piece required masterful lighting to accentuate its features without glare to anyone in the vicinity. Ryan Shamier and Donn Salisbury of Electrolight worked together with Buckford Illumination Group NSW, WE-EF LIGHTING to bring light to “Shine”.
Considerations:
Project considerations included:
• Quality Optics for precision: Precisely placing light only where it is needed to accentuate the cables of the sculpture without light trespass to anyone looking at it from any direction – a tricky task!
• Intensity: Powerful high output floodlights to really saturate the piece and bring it to life
• Reliability: superior performance with minimal maintenance and downtime to improve long-term cost efficiency and reduce unnecessary outages and labour
• Durability: a quality product that is built to last and stand the test of time
• Warranty: Strong service support both on installation and for any post-commissioning issues, backed by a comprehensive warranty
• Best practices: Working with a team that can deliver a solution that follows best practice lighting principles
• Mounting bracket: Working with a team capable of providing a mounting solution for the luminaires
Project Challenges:
The intricate, large-scale sculpture presented several technical challenges to illuminate including:
• Its close proximity to patient treatment rooms required a high level of consideration of luminaire selection, lensing, placement and aiming
• Detailed modelling of the sculpture needed to be undertaken at the concept stage to ensure the correct lighting outcome was delivered without obtrusive light to the patient rooms
• The lighting also had to be seamlessly integrated into the hospital’s helipad landing systems to ensure potential glare was eliminated during patient transport
• Mounting the floodlights demanded a custom bracket solution.
Solution:
The unique application demanded a series of high-performance precision projectors, with customised low glare optics, which could be discreetly placed amongst the landscaping at ground level; here 10 x WE-EF FLC260-CC projectors with custom 300mm long snoot and custom mounting bracket were selected.
‘These floodlights bathe the work in slowly changing coloured light, inspired by the natural hues of the sky seen during sunrise and sunset. An advanced programmable DMX control system individually adjusts both the hue and intensity of each floodlight to create a finely resolved, ethereal and mesmerising light display which transforms the presentation of the work during night time’ explain Ryan Shamier and Donn Salisbury of Electrolight.
Results:
“’Shine’ embodies the healing power of light, as can be experienced in a deep Blue Mountains rainforest canyon. It symbolises the giving of life,
knowledge and hope,”
As explained by the involved Lighting Designer, Ryan Shamier and Donn Salisbury of Electrolight, The lighting for the Shine artwork reflects this celestial phenomenon by programming a rich, coloured glow at sunrise and sunset. This gives patients and staff a connection to the outside world and provides a beautiful event to anticipate twice a day.
Completed: 2021
Client: Health Infrastructure NSW
Sales Partner: Buckford Illumination Group NSW
Artist: Jade Oakley
Art Consultant: Creative Road Art Projects
Lighting Design: Electrolight – Ryan Shamier and Donn Salisbury
Electrical Contractor: Star Electrical
Photography: Jackie Chan