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Every month we highlight an artwork from our hospital art collection. In this final instalment of our 12 month series, we are exploring a hanging sculpture by Edward Willis.

About the artwork:

Commissioned by St George’s Hospital in 2005 as a two-part set, this piece boasts a strikingly bright orange colour, while using shapes with a combination of curved and rigid edges.

Edward thinks of his sculptural works as ‘suspended animations’ which are ‘lying at rest, waiting for passing breeze to breathe life into them’.

Shifting gently in the natural breeze, the sculpture is intended to present the viewer with an opportunity to contemplate and meditate, getting lost in the soft movement stemming from the skeletal structure.

This artwork is currently on display in the Reception Area of the Atkinson Morley Wing at St George’s Hospital.

Untitled, Edward Willis, painted steel, 2005, 102 (H) x 170 (W) 2 (D) cm

About the artist:

Edward Willis is the son of a painter, however never formally trained in the arts himself. Instead, he has a degree in philosophy from Bristol University, which perhaps inspires and informs many of the concepts behind his work.

Following a lifetime’s interest in painting and drawing, Willis turned to 3D work in the form of simple mobiles as nursery decorations following the birth of his first son in 1997.

After noticing the work of famous sculptor Alexander Calder, Edward was inspired to create more sophisticated sculptural works, such as the one we have highlighted today.

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