Sanctuary garden wall artwork for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People

To encourage staff, visitors and patients to use the Sanctuary Garden at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People Mark Haddon was asked to design wall art and signage for the entrance way to the courtyard garden.

In garden itself is a labyrinth laid out in brickwork. This became the central motif in the design, but upended as though it might be a tree.

MH then developed a number of characters to populate the design - the intention was to demonstrate a joyful inclusivity and diversity in a recognisable format. Sock puppets seemed appropriate because they were familiar to most young people and also easy to make (thinking ahead to potential Sanctuary workshops), but also because they could be cheerful monsters. To aid ease of identification, a child character was developed to interact with the sock-puppets.

Designing for windows is a specific challenge in hospital environments because a balance must be struck between privacy and visibility. People need to feel unobserved in the garden and people in the offices surrounding the garden need light and a view, while it’s also important to let people using the corridor see fleeting views of the garden to encourage them to explore it.