David Batchelor
West Wing Spectrum, 2004
Neon light, steel and acrylic
West Wing, St Bartholomew’s Hospital
David Batchelor’s large-scale works are usually made in response to a particular setting and seek to interrupt this setting through the use of found objects and intense artificial colour. At Barts, however, Batchelor has created an artwork that seeks to enhance rather than disrupt the beauty of the eighteenth century stairwell. His glowing neon lights frame the original windows and are designed to be visible from every level of the building, but not visible in their entirety from any one point. As he says, ‘ the work will change throughout the day as the light levels alter: in full daylight the work will glow quite softly; at night it will appear much brighter’.
The award winning Barts Heath Breast Care Centre is considered a pioneering example of public art commissioning in a healthcare setting. A series of site specific commissions from leading artists are integrated with the architecture, to produce moments of contemplation; creating spaces that positively encourage distraction and discussion.
The art programme was curated for Vital Arts by Theresa Bergne of Field Art Projects, and took as its starting point the feedback that visitors would rather be ‘anywhere, but here.’ To this end, the expression of landscape explored by all the art installed offers an element of ‘transportation,’ offering viewers the opportunity to think about being ‘somewhere else,’ if only in mind.
About the artist:
David Batchelor (b. 1955, Dundee) studied Fine Art at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham (1978), followed by Cultural Theory at Birmingham University (1980). His practice encompasses sculpture, installation, drawing, painting, photography, and animation, focusing on the role of colour in contemporary urban environments. Batchelor’s work frequently utilises found objects and industrial materials, exploring the synthetic, often overlooked colours of the modern city and the interplay between colour, form, and space.
Batchelor has exhibited extensively, including at Whitechapel Gallery, London; Hayward Gallery, London; and the Compton Verney Museum, England. Batchelor has also completed several public art commissions, such as Chromolocomotion (St Pancras International, London, 2014), which reflect his ongoing engagement with colour and space in public and urban realms.
