Sabine Beitzke
A Walk In Nature, 2023
Vinyl wallpaper, Gouache, Acrylic and Coloured Pencil
Spinal Treatment Room, St Bartholomew’s Hospital
Sabine Beitzke was commissioned to create a site-specific installation for a specialist spinal treatment room in the outpatients Cancer Centre at St Barts. The room is used for bone marrow biopsies and intrathecal chemotherapy administration: interventions that can cause substantial pain and anxiety, and procedures that require the patient to remain stationary for long periods of time. The full-length mural and individual drawings are vignette-style illustrations that depict various small islands of nature to which the patients can retreat.
Beitzke studied neuropathic medicine, and her design incorporates traditional medical plants, such as dandelion and echinacea. These plants, growing and flowering in even the most unlikely places, represent the potential for recovery and resilience.
The commission was featured in an article by Dr Stephen Gibbs in The Lancet VOLUME 10, ISSUE 6, E404-E405, JUNE 2023. For those with an active subscription the article can be read here.
‘Nature holds a place for all of us; it is our true home where everyone is welcome to rest and recharge. I hope I can invite you for an imaginary walk, and to take you to a place that provides joyful memories of the simple pleasures that can be found in nature.’
Sabine Beitzke
Other Commissions by Sabine Beitzke
Whitechapel Market and Where Do Bananas Live? 2023
Vinyl wallpaper, Gouache, Acrylic & Coloured Pencil on paper
Paediatric Dermatology, Royal London Hospital
