Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital
SCULPTURAL SEATING
SCULPTURAL SEATING: CONCOURSE
From the beginning it was clear that I wanted
to make a sculptural object which could be sat
on rather than attempt to design a chair. It was
therefore important that I struck the right balance
between sculpture and function.
ALLAN WATSON
Allan Watson studied sculpture at Gray’s
School of Art, Aberdeen, graduating in
1986. Since then he has continued to live
and work in the North East participating
in a wide range of projects including
exhibitions, public art projects, artist-inresidence schemes, international workshops,
and the completion of a PhD in 1992 which
focused on chance and decision making
within creative practice.
In 1994 Allan joined the teaching staff
at Grays and has held the position of MA
Course Leader, First Year Coordinator, and is
currently Subject Leader in Sculpture.
INVESTIGATION & RESEARCH
As the concourse would be the first impression
for the majority of visitors to the hospital I was
keen to create something visually enticing which
would welcome people into the space while causing
intrigue and interest.
I decided that the main material would be timber
based involving a very simple construction
technique of cutting out the basic shapes and
gluing these together. Various patterns were then
applied to each unit using numerous processes
and additional materials creating visual ‘hotspots’.
Each unit had to be very heavy to serve as both a
practical item and also as another clue to the user
that this was not a seat in the conventional sense.
The curved forms reflected the curvature of the
rotunda whilst the design of each piece aimed to
hover between ‘sophistication’ and ‘playfulness’
offering something different for all age groups:
a ‘big toy’ for a two year old; a ‘cool’ seat for the
teenager; a unique piece of design for mum and
dad; somewhere for granma and granda to take the
weight off their feet.
There are between six and ten units located within
the concourse area. Some units are placed out of
doors for those hot Aberdeen summers !
2
1
Plans of the space help to identify predicted ‘traffic flow’.
How will people move through this area?
My first site visit, building incomplete, difficult to get a sense
of space.
3
Examples
of previous
work,
important
aspects in
influencing
what
I’ll do:
geometry
versus
organic
shape,
exploiting
the natural
colour
found in
timber.
4
Early scribblesI’m searching for
an approach that
feels right. This
isn’t about ‘good
drawing’ but about
using drawing to
explore ideas.
8
5
I build my own cardboard model to scale. This really
helps me to understand the space. Small seats are also
to scale.
Finished technical
drawings,
determined by
economics as well
as aesthetics.
9
Construction is sub-contracted to a local company
who have specialist equipment: a computer
controlled mechanical router.
10
The seats arrive in my studio for finishing.
(with help from a few friends)
6
Cardboard maquettes tell me more about
three-dimensional reality than drawing can.
Working in the studio.
Using a variety of tools including drills,
routers, hole-cutters & sanders, I add
various surface patterns inspired by the
natural features found in the timber.
7
Using Photoshop to explore and help
communicate how the finished sets might look.
DEVELOPMENT
11
12
After varnishing,
the seats are
transported to
site and moved
into place.
14
A successful solution the customers seem to
like them!
13
Photograph by Mike Davidson
SOLUTION
EXTERIOR SIGN
by Lucy Richards
“COLOURED POLES”
by Ally Wallace
“SHAKIN ALL OVER”
by Michael Brennand-Wood
DONOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
by Lucy Richards
DEPARTMENTAL SIGN
by Lucy Richards
Programme Funded By:-
“THE ONTOLOGICAL GARDEN”
by Dalziel + Scullion
FLOORING PATTERNS
by Lucy Richards
“BUTTON WALL”
by Jane Watt
OTHER ARTWORKS
“FEAST”
by Lucy Casson
“SLINKY TOWER”
by Jim Buckley
PHOTOGRAPHS ON THIS SHEET COURTESY OF MIKE DAVIDSON.
“SHAKIN ALL OVER” COURTESY OF JAMES AUSTIN