17 July 2006

LET THERE BE LIGHT & LIFE –
A Healing Experience Like No Other at TTSH

TTSH’s crystal Healing Sky Garden© came to life on 17th July 2006. The Healing Sky Garden© is a powerfully visual glass sculpture comprising a cluster of glass orchids, a “healing skyway” made up of crystal flowers, clear glass baubles and coloured glass discs, and an amber moon with a stylised phoenix rising.

Suspended in mid-air in the hospital’s atrium, the glass artwork captures light from the skylight through the glass roof and disperses the sunlight like a prism, creating a shower of colours where patients, staff and visitors can refresh and rejuvenate themselves in the aurora of light. The installation will be illuminated by external spotlights at night.

A world first for a hospital, the mammoth 14m by 6m by 5m art piece demonstrates a clear manifestation of TTSH’s commitment to holistic healing and healing arts which aims to employ art, in all its forms, to provide patient delight and lead them on the path to recovery.

Under the The Art of Healing programme©, the hospital will use the arts to help distract patients from their ailments, express their feelings and reduce anxiety. Through this the hospital hopes that there will be an improvement in their blood pressure and intake of pain medication which in turn should translate to faster recovery and a shorter length of hospital stay.

Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of Singapore National Arts Council and Guest of Honour for the event remarked, “Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Art of Healing programme underlines its commitment to speed patients’ recovery by

tapping on the therapeutic qualities of the arts. The arts can be a powerful means of supporting the healing process. Through its revitalizing and enriching qualities, it can also positively influence how people respond to illness. This crystal installation is indeed a milestone for the programme, integrating healing art into the built environment of the hospital.”

The design and concept of The Healing Sky Garden is by pioneering local glass artist, Mr Steven Hwang Fong Boon. He worked together with 360-year-old Czechoslovakian master crystal maker Preciosa to realise his vision for the glass artwork which embodies hope, faith and renewal in the circle of life.

By portraying elements of rich traditional Chinese cultural symbolism infused with the energetic forward-looking ideas of young Singaporeans, The Healing Sky Garden© offers fitting testimony to the quietly tenacious spirit of the hospital’s founder and early Singapore pioneer, Mr. Tan Tock Seng.

Each element of the artwork has special significance: the orchids, which are evergreen, tough and resilient; the crystal flowers, clear baubles and coloured discs, represent the healing path or flow of positive energy; and the moon with the phoenix, the former symbolizing the hope of being whole again, and the phoenix, re-birth and a new chance at life. “Hospitalised patients often experience pain, frustration, loneliness and anxiety. They wish that their disease would go away more quickly. If there is something that can address these problems, we should waste no time and prescribe it to patients. Indeed there is, and it is art.” said Dr Lim Suet Wun, CEO for Tan Tock SengHospital and the National Healthcare Group.

“Art has universal appeal and is able to transcend many boundaries and soothe the mind in areas currently not accessible.” he added.

“We are very fortunate to have such encouraging and generous support from various sponsors for our past, present and future events. Without their helping hands this hospital would not be the lively, inspiring and soothing place it is today.” said Ms Olivia Branson, Director of Corporate Communications for Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the National Healthcare Group.

The glass artwork is sponsored by CPG Corporation Pte Ltd, a leading provider of infrastructure and building consultancy services in Asia Pacific. Its operating subsidiaries were the architect, engineer and project manager for the redevelopment of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The engineering and construction was undertaken by Altitude Construction Trading Company.

Engage in a feast of sight and scent as The Healing Sky Garden is unveiled and the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Atrium is transformed into an inspiring and captivating sanctuary for patients, staff and the public.