Art for outpatients at the Outpatients Assessment Clinic

University Hospitals Dorset commissioned students from Arts University Bournemouth to create artwork for the community outpatients assessment clinic @ Dorset Health Village.

Students were set with two briefs, the first, was to design the artwork for the main waiting area. The students worked together creating a character called ‘Pala’ in the context that ‘It's All About People’, the character was designed to help patients feel that they are more than just numbers while waiting, and the artwork encouraged the community to follow guidelines for a healthy lifestyle.

In the student's second brief, they were tasked with creating a piece to help to support patients navigating through the clinic, reducing anxiety and making the space more friendly. They worked with existing artwork and colours of clinical zones, with the main focus on health and wellbeing, creating an extension of the ‘Pala’ character throughout the facility. Students worked in a mixed team to organise, print and install the artwork on-site for two days.

Monica Franchin, senior lecturer for interior architecture and design at BU said: “It was an amazing experience for the students, responding to a live brief with a meaningful outcome, supporting the community and the NHS, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.”