Three site-specific art works created for Alingsås Hospital, Sweden
Commissioned by Västfastigheter
Completed August 2018

My intention when making this art piece for the Alingsås Hospital was to create a tribute to life - a monument to the Cell.

I sought, and found my inspiration in the hospital as an institution and in the human body as a system quite similar to the structure of the institution and vice versa. In search for just the right element, I plunged deeply into the micro-world of the living individual, all the way to the fundamental element of every living organism, to the basic unit of life, the cell, and its specific micro-cosmos.

The word cell comes from the Latin word cellula, which means “small space”. The basic shape of the element in “Cellula” is the combination of a cell and a small space formed as a cross-section of a pentagonal shape. Each cell element is identical. Together they create compositions of different shapes and sizes in each of the three designated sites in the hospital: the main Entrance square, the Foyer and the hospital Hallway.

In Cellula, as in real organic cells, the middle of each small room is the nucleus which is surrounded by organelles. Here, the nucleus is a globe lamp, which represents the most common type of home lighting fixture. Light and colour symbolize life. The dynamic lighting of the nucleus and organelles describes the dynamics and the pace of life.

Material: Steel
Size: Entrance square piece 7m, Foyer piece 7m, Hallway piece 5.5m
Colour: Glossy neon orange

Cellula proposal was the winner of the competition arranged by Västfastigheter.

Photo Robin Hayes