Client: CHRISTUS Health - Trinity Mother Frances Hospital

Overview

“Faith Flows” guides patients and visitors through the ground floor of the newly constructed Bradley-Thompson Tower of the CHRISTUS Health campus in Tyler, TX. The triangular wave elements were designed to reference the CHRISTUS logo as well as sails or a changing tide. It is composed of undulating, perforated aluminum shapes that are powder coated in vibrant purple and lilac shades to serve as a tool for wayfinding and lift spirits.

Dimensions: 36′ L x 8′ W x 4′ H

Goals

The client was searching for a shallow, suspended sculpture that captures movement for the lobby ceiling. The goal of the sculpture was to beautify the space and serve as a tool for wayfinding and spiritual reflection. The artist proposed a sculpture design composed of triangular wave elements inspired by the heath system's logo to create the essence of a flowing stream above the viewers. It snakes across the ceiling beginning at the lobby entrance, and ends in the connecting hallway to the main hospital.

Process

The project involved close collaboration between the artist and the ARCH Design team. The ARCH team was essential in concept design discussions, choosing the final finish for the pieces and providing architectural drawings and photos of the site for the artist, as a site visit was not plausible at the time.

The COVID-19 pandemic made installation on a hospital campus difficult, so extra safety measures were implemented to keep all of those involved safe and healthy. The artist worked with the site contractors to draw up a plan for installation. Given the lightweight nature of the aluminum elements, the entire sculpture was able to be suspended from the acoustic ceiling grid.

The 4' x 4' ceiling grid was marked in the artist's studio to ensure each sculpture element would have well-suited suspension points. Once the entire sculpture and its connection points were documented in the studio, the sculpture was ready to be installed. With the help of the CHRISTUS team on site, the sculpture was installed over just two days.