I Drew This landmarks let people navigate new Brighton hospital
Improving the hospital experience is the idea behind a new art project in Brighton where publisher and artist Ilona Drew’s work now features prominently.
“It was an amazing privilege to be chosen as one of the artists to work on such an important project that will be there for years to come,” Ilona, who publishes her work as greeting cards and prints under the I Drew This brand from her home town, told PG Buzz.
“I’d never worked on something that would eventually be large scale, I have learned a lot through the process and am super proud of how my pieces look.”
Ilona’s two giant pieces showing Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex stadium and Shoreham Airport are in the Louise Martindale building which is about to open – three years late due to the pandemic – as part of the 3T’s redevelopment of the trauma, tertiary and training areas of Brighton Hospital in which all the buildings on the front half will be replaced with two brand-new clinical buildings, service yard, and helideck on top of the tower at the heart of the complex.
Altogether 12 artists were commissioned for the project, which includes a showcase of local artists’ work, revitalising both big and quiet spaces with pieces that represent heritage, people, and the individuality of the city the hospital inhabits.
The artwork in the Connect programme at the Royal Sussex County Hospital site features in waiting rooms, treatment rooms, gardens and corridors so visitors can use feature wall illustrations like Ilona’s of landmarks and landscapes to find their way around the hospital, as well as the standard signage system.
It’s the first and largest part of the redevelopment project, which now moves on to replace the Barry Building, the oldest NHS ward building in England that opened its doors in 1828, 20 years before Florence Nightingale started nursing.
Once the new Sussex Cancer Centre is complete, the service yard will be built in place of the existing facility, with the Ilona’s work and the Connect art programme used to make a welcoming and enriching environment for patients, and create a legacy of high-quality public art for the community.
Top: Ilona Drew with her stadium artwork
