Snow Leopard, Evelina 1+

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust

Slumbering cubs and neuro-rehabilitative art

Our art scheme for Snow Leopard department features drawings of adorable snow leopards, cubs, and ibexes, from illustrator Richard Hogg, along with our coordinated interior design and wayfinding. Patients will come here for long-term visits to the respiratory ward, for neurorehabilitation (for therapies following a traumatic brain injury), or to visit the children's sleep centre for sleep therapies. 

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The entrance to Snow Leopard department features a 2.5m X 2.5m backlit “Lightwork” Corian panel, with a softly glowing illustration of a snow leopard with her young cubs curled around her for warmth. The artwork glows in a soft, yellow-tint light, which promotes melatonin release in the body, helping to bring better quality sleep – much better than the typically harsh white lighting for hospitals, which has been linked to disrupted sleep cycles of patients.

At the entrance to the Sleep Centre, we've integrated art and design features to support sleep therapies and recovery: we designed frosted glass sliding doors to offer privacy, quiet, and gentle neutral tones. Alongside, a friendly “night night” is written in over 30 languages in vinyl, set alongside pillows printed onto acoustically absorbent, impact resistant material to dampen sounds. Zzzzzz...

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Across the corridor in the neurorehabilitation ward, interactive artwork of the everday - getting dressed, apples and oranges on a tree – helps patients to re-orientate and re-familiarise with the world after a traumatic brain injury. We’ve developed magnetic strips representing animals and fruits, which patients can place into artwork outlines of trees on the walls. This simple matching game provides a fun, colourful, enticing, and effective way to boost the re-learning process. It also allows patients to pass the time by personalising their environment – crucial for their wellbeing during long stays in hospital.

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Praise for Evelina 1+

“The team at Art in Site ensured that they understood the experiences of children and their parents going through cardiac surgery and have managed to integrate the art and environment into the very essence of the ward and as such supporting and enhancing the clinical pathway.” 

- Aaron Bell, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, Evelina London

Praise for Evelina 1+

“People have said how bright and beautiful it is. Children go around the walls following the images and tracing them. They have used the Evelina colours everywhere which is great. Parents who have come to us before so know what it was like previously say it’s amazing and was worth the wait”

- Matron, Allergy Services

Praise for Evelina 1+

“The work is bespoke, and the themes are really appropriate. The environment makes so much difference to how you feel… it’s so special.”

- Specialist Consultant, Cardiologist

Praise for Evelina 1+

“I feel very special to have been part of the journey. The nurses, they also remember that they were involved… it means we’re able to promote it and talk about it as a particularly special project…. I am proud of it, what we achieved as a team, learning about it and doing it for the first time has been a special experience.”

- – Head of Nursing, Outpatients and Neonatology

This case study is part of the wider “Evelina 1+” project – featuring seven departments incorporating art, interior design, playful journeys, storytelling, & digital interactions. See Projects for all Evelina 1+ case studies.

The artwork has been supported by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, which helps create a world-class environment for patients, staff and visitors at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Find out more at www.supportgstt.org.uk.

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Date 2021

Sector Healthcare

Service Children's: Respiratory, Neurorehabilitation, Sleep Therapy

Commissioned Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust

Artist Art in Site, Richard Hogg

User Group Children & Families

Awards Building Better Healthcare Awards 2021, Winner, Best Interior Design Project – refurbishment

European Healthcare Design Awards 2021 Highly Commended, Interior Design & the Arts