The Three Sisters

Ormond Wing – St Luke’s General Hospital

Date: 2022

Dimensions: Various

Materials: Artworks in framed ceramics, printed Perspex and printed wallcoverings from Vescom.

Techniques: Printed and framed ceramics in porcelain. Printed wallcoverings and perspex taken from the ceramics and altered in Photoshop.

Commissioned by: HSE through the Percent for Art Scheme

Location: New Ormond Wing of St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny

Architects: Wejchert Architects

Description: ‘The Three Sisters’ is a group of connected artworks for the new Ormond Wing of St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny. Made in ceramics, printed Perspex and Vescom wallcovering, and commissioned by the HSE through the Percent for Art Scheme, it was installed in various locations on all four floors of the 77-bed wing.

The artworks were commissioned in 2021 and provide a link to the surrounding area by creating a welcoming feel to the entrance and corridors of the wards with familiar images of local landmarks, buildings, and nature. For the artist, Diane McCormick, it allowed her the chance to design an integrated artwork scheme throughout the four floors with a range of different media, related by colour and design, which ensured a vibrant and carefully considered artistic outcome.

With small intimate framed ceramic pictures of wildlife and built heritage of the counties Carlow, Kilkenny, and Tipperary in seating areas and at the entrance, to large scale wall coverings used as wayfinding and circular printed Perspex at the entrances to the lift lobbies. Each ward is defined by a colour and name and is linked by the theme of the three rivers that run through the area. Colours, shapes, and scale of artforms provide different points of interest throughout the four floors of the new Ormond wing.

The aim of the artworks is to

Provide each ward with a theme connected to a river, either the Nore, Suir, or Barrow.
Create a calming space by connecting to nature and familiar landmarks with the use of soft colours—blues, greens, and yellows.
Initiate conversations about endangered wildlife or built heritage found locally.
Use as way-finding for each ward, at entrances and ends of corridors and nurses stations.

Participants in the project

The Arts Committee, which consisted of the Architects from Wejchert, Senior Nursing Staff, Arts in Healthcare Programme Manager, HSE Estates Manager, and the General Hospital Manager. They engaged with the artist on the selection of images from the surrounding catchment areas to create the artworks and provided input into suitable locations for these. The Arts Officer was instrumental in linking the artist with external Heritage and Wildlife Officers in the other counties to provide information on species at risk and unusual built heritage structures that might be included.

Arts approach and method
No site visit being possible, but the architects provided a presentation of the building, with color schemes and possible locations identified. The theme for the wards included bringing in local landmarks along the Three Sisters (Rivers Nore, Suir, and Barrow) along with associated wildlife and research for different materials suitable for artwork in hospitals was discussed at one of the early meetings.

The artist began the project with the 14 small-scale ceramic individual artworks each measuring 600 x 40 framed. Bridges, historical buildings, landscapes, dolmen, birds, fish, and trees all feature throughout these pieces, which were then used as textural elements for the other large-scale printed wall coverings and Perspex circles. The blue river winds its way through the decorative designs creating a flow along the ward connecting each of the different elements. Colored way-finding ward numbers in vinyl, each with a motif taken from the ceramic pieces, ensure the four floors have their own identity and name.

The artworks comprised of:

12 areas of Vescom printed wallcovering each approx. 3m x 5m. Printed on 103501 DELTA, approved for hospital wards.
9 printed Perspex circles measuring 1.1m diameter (three at floors 1, 2, and 3).
14 ceramic framed pictures (3 located on floors 1, 2, and 3 at the waiting area and 5 at the Freshford ward entrance opposite the lifts).
Acrylic numbers for the wards (3 at each floor). The artworks were installed between Jan and March 2022, wallpaper by an approved contractor, the rest by the artist team.

Evaluation outcomes

Feedback from each meeting, which was invaluable to the success of the artwork. The enthusiasm of the people involved and the input by members of the art committee ensured that the art was relevant to the people who would be using this new wing of the hospital. Liaising with the architects on design aspects and the placement of each of the various elements ensured the art fitted in with their vision and design.

From the artist: “This project gave me the opportunity to create a number of large-scale designs in wallpaper all in one area. In the past I have made ceramics which I knew would look good scaled up and this project gave me the ideal space to realize larger integrated artworks which give a real impact to the ward.”

Ground floor – 1. The Freshford Suite (Blue)

Artworks in this ward are all based on the buildings, wildlife, and heritage found along the rivers in the locality. Ceramic pictures depict some of the buildings, landscapes, mountains, and wildlife that can be appreciated by a walk along the river. The wall coverings in the main corridor are all based on these individual textured ceramic artworks. They create a scene that evokes the colours and textures of the landscape intersected by the blue flowing river.

These include:

Mute Swans on the river – Native to Ireland, the mute swan ‘Eala bhalbh’ is a large white bird identified by its orange beak with a black knob on the top. In flight, its wings make a throbbing rhythmic sound, which W.B. Yeats called the ‘bell beat of their wings’.
Grey Herons- ‘Máire Fhada’ or ‘Long Mary’ and ‘Síle na bportach’ or ‘Sheila of the Bog’. A large bird found along waterways which can be seen, statue-like, fishing in shallow water, its diet consists of fish and small invertebrates, and it builds communal nests called heronries in tall mature trees.

Ground floor Images:

First Floor – 2. The Suir Ward (Yellow)

Artworks in this ward are all based on the buildings, wildlife, and heritage found along the river Suir. Ceramic pictures depict some of the buildings, landscapes, mountains, and wildlife that can be appreciated by a walk along the river. The wall coverings in the main wards and the three printed circular perspex artworks near the lifts are all based on these individual textured ceramic artworks. They create a scene that evokes the colors and textures of the landscape intersected by the blue flowing river.

These include:

The Tudor Ormond Castle at Carrick-on-Suir which was built in 1565 beside an earlier medieval river castle.
Slievenamon – (Sliabh na mBan) Mountain of the women, which is steeped in folklore, and is associated with Fionn mac Cumhaill. It has several ancient burial cairns on its summit and overlooks some of the best farmland in the county.
Grey Wagtails – The landscape of the river Suir as it meanders through farmland. The grey wagtail is always associated with running water and often builds its nest under bridges or on man-made structures near water. Often seen perching on rocks and flying over the water to catch flies and invertebrates, it is identified by its sulphur yellow underparts and the frequent wagging of its long tail.
Fishing on the Suir – Some of the protected species that live in or near the river Suir include the White-clawed Crayfish, Twaite Shad (type of fish) and the old sessile oak woods. The common Kingfisher, with its exotic metallic blue and orange plumage, can be found on a perch along the river waiting to catch small fish.

First floor Images:

Second Floor – 3. The Nore Ward (Turquoise)

Artworks in this ward are all based on the buildings, wildlife, and heritage found along the river Nore. Ceramic pictures depict some of the buildings, landscapes, mountains, and wildlife that can be appreciated by a walk along the river. The wall coverings in the main wards and the three printed circular perspex artworks near the lifts are all based on these individual textured ceramic artworks. They create a scene that evokes the colors and textures of the landscape intersected by the blue flowing river.

These include:

Jerpoint Abbey – Founded in the 12th century, Jerpoint Abbey is one of the best examples of a medieval Cistercian Abbey in Ireland. The Meadow Saffron, Colchicum autumnale, can be found growing near the river banks of the Nore and was often associated with monastic settlements, possibly being used for medicinal purposes. It contains the chemical colchicine which has been used for the treatment of gout.
Kilkenny Castle – A Norman Castle built in the 12th century on the river Nore. Occupied for over 800 years, it now belongs to the city of Kilkenny.
Nore Pearl Mussel – The River Nore is the only known location for the freshwater mussel, Margaritifera durrovensis, the Nore pearl mussel. The Nore pearl mussel population has declined at an alarming rate in recent years and the condition of the population and its habitat is so impaired that a captive breeding project was established in 2004.
Woodstock Gardens – The gardens overlook the River Nore Valley and are home to a mix of formal and informal gardens with an arboretum, walled garden, rose garden, and yew walk. The cast iron conservatory is a main feature as well as the fine specimen trees.

Second floor Images:

Third Floor – 4. The Barrow Ward (Green)

Artworks in this ward are all based on the buildings, wildlife, and heritage found along the river Barrow. Ceramic pictures depict some of the buildings, landscapes, mountains, and wildlife that can be appreciated by a walk along the river. The wall coverings in the main wards and the three printed circular perspex artworks near the lifts are all based on these individual textured ceramic artworks. They create a scene that evokes the colors and textures of the landscape intersected by the blue flowing river.

These include:

Graiguenamanagh Bridge – Built on the River Barrow in 1760-70, this seven-arch humpback road bridge is built in granite and is an important component of the eighteenth-century civil engineering heritage of County Kilkenny.
Brownshill Dolmen – This very large megalithic portal tomb is 3km east of Carlow and was built about 5000 years ago. Its capstone weighs an estimated 150 metric tons, and is reputed to be the heaviest in Europe.
The Yellowhammer, (or yellow yorling) a farmland bird in decline, is often seen feeding in local arable wheat and oat fields. Its call is said to sound like ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese’.
The Carlow Fence – This simple Quaker-style granite fence is a unique feature of the Carlow landscape and is not found anywhere else in the world. It was erected mainly as a decorative fence around gardens and between fields.
Borris Viaduct – This viaduct spans 16 arches across the river 50m below and was originally constructed as a railway line from Bagenalstown to Wexford. It is one of Ireland’s best examples of monumental 19th Century railway engineering and has spectacular views to the Blackstairs Mountains and Mount Leinster

Third floor Images: