We proudly worked with Australian Unity and commissioned artists Tamika Grant-Iramu and Samuel Tupou, WATPAC and specialist fabricators to deliver artwork commissions for the Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) in the Herston Health Precinct.
Tamika’s work, A reimagined environment, compromised of two large inlaid carpets, a substantial foyer screen of brass poles and applied privacy vinyl screens to the ground floor windows, each design derived from original relief print artworks. The works were inspired by the immediate natural landscape of STARS, drawing upon her practice as a contemporary printmaker to create a reimagined environment. The organic designs of the main foyer are an extension of the surrounding gardens, an exploration of local flora interacting with the existing architecture.
Samuel’s work, Botanic Vistas, are located in the lift lobby of each level within the hospital. These panoramic murals draw inspiration from Australian Flora that has been named in honour of Australian medical practitioners, in particular doctors with a strong connection to the Queensland region. Each artwork includes Australian flora within an iconic Queensland landscape. With a pixel size of 25mm (approx.1 dot per inch), these images of landscapes and plant life are visible from a distance yet are intended to distort into an abstract mix of colour and pattern upon close proximity.
Human memory is a key element of this series of work, with Tupou interested in how visual memories fade over time, often leaving only a small amount of information and cornerstone detail, forcing us to squint to recall past experiences or environments more clearly. As he explains: ‘We strive to preserve moments of importance or great beauty, when arriving at a vista we capture the moment with a photograph or a mental snapshot to keep for future recollection.’
Images: AJ Moller and Louis Lim