Client: Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital
Location: Houston, TX, United States
Completion date: 2004
Artwork budget: $25,000
Project Team
Artist
Ellen Abbott
Art Consultant
Marc Leva
Overview
A 27′ long curved free standing wall consisting of 9 panels ranging in height from 3.5′ to 5′ mounted on a 3′ tall pony wall, approx. 115 sq.ft. Clear textured glass leaf forms were applied to the surface of the carved and etched glass panels and copper foil highlights were added. The panels were stabilized with custom designed and fabricated hinge/connectors at the top.
Goals
The new privacy laws required that the check-in desks be hidden from view in the lobby. Rather than have a plain wall, the art consultant, Skyline Art Services, opted for a sculptural element.
Process
Skyline Art Services contacted me to collaborate with a metal artist in the construction of this wall. The metal artist had already done designs of water related rushes so I did a design of gently flowing water for the glass panels with the leaf forms floating along with the current to complement the intermediate metal forms that would be placed along the wall. The metal artist was eventually dropped from the project and my partner, Marc Leva, and I fabricated the panels as I had designed them.