Artworks visually enrich public buildings. In a hospital, artworks provide a space which is appealing, comforting and often captivating. Established in 1979, Tasmania has the oldest public art scheme in Australia.

One of the two public art commissions for K-Block will be an installation suspended from the ceiling of the atrium.

Artist and maker, Keith Dougall, has worked in the glass medium for over 20 years, creating numerous works for exhibitions and the architectural environment using a range of techniques including slumped, fused, cast, blown, hot-formed and woven glass.

Keith has designed a sculptural installation constructed from simple hand-blown glass forms and stainless-steel cables.

The cables will be woven into a number of subtle flexible ‘nets’ containing groupings of organically shaped clear glass baubles or ‘bundles of breath’ which will be suspended at various heights, with the appearance of being lifted up in the vertical space.

The work symbolises the fragility and resilience of breath and life. The suspension of the work is a metaphor for the support and care that staff and family provide the patient, lifting them up in their time of need.

Patients, staff and visitors are encouraged to be part of bringing life to the art installation by capturing their own breath in a glass bauble. Keith had been collecting breath donations over several weeks and will return to the Royal Hobart Hospital in the last week of November to collect breath from patients.

There will be more opportunities for the public to donate their breath again in the first week of December. Keith will be located in the Royal Hobart Hospital's Liverpool Street foyer.

Keep an eye on this page because dates will be published here.

Thursday, 5 and Friday, 6 December are the next opportunities to donate breath to the public art work called 'Catching your breath'.

Keith's web page will document the breath donation. Keep a watch for developments on www.catchingyourbreath.net.au

25 Nov 2019