Award-winning glass artist Alexander Beleschenko has had his unique installation unveiled for the first time on the grounds of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital, which is set to open in 2017.
A light show on one of the constructed lift shafts illustrated his work which will adorn the new hospital’s West Derby Street and Prescot Street entrances as it moves past the 1,000 days away from completion mark.
The renowned artist has worked globally specialising in sculptures, walls, screens and windows which are located in a number of both indoor and outdoor settings.
However, this is the first time that his work, which is made up of 50 glass panes and spans 217sq metres, has graced the city he admires so much.
He told JMU Journalism of the challenge of his latest piece: “Being outside of a hospital meant I wanted it to project an uplifting and positive image above all else. No one likes being in a hospital and you can have feelings of apprehension and a range of emotions. I felt it was important to give colour and life to the surroundings to give that positivity.
“I always like my work to be in public places so a wide number of people can see it and take different things from it. Glass art by its nature is ever changing so interpretation will differ. It is always important, I feel, that my work can tell some type of story.”
The 63-year-old Northamptonshire-born artist said: “I loved the opportunity to come here and get a chance to visit Liverpool more. It is such an interesting city in many ways but especially visually, the architecture is fascinating and it really does have huge assets that I think the people here appreciate.
“An example of this is the Everyman winning the national Stirling prize, which is such a prestigious award. Any association with this city really is an honour for me.”