When artist Beci Orpin was unwell as a child, a quilt handmade by her grandmother was her main source of comfort.   

The nostalgic connection is the inspiration behind her colourful patchwork artwork created for inside lifts at Randwick and Westmead's new children’s hospital buildings. 

"My work often refers to themes of craft and nostalgia, and patchwork holds several connections for me," said Beci Orpin. 

"A patchwork symbolises the merging of different experiences which make up our lives – in this particular work, I’ve focused on the human body, natural environment and imagined universe," Beci added.

"The lift walls and ceiling have been gridded into ‘patchworked’ panels; each having simplified forms of nature and the human body, being either figurative – a cloud, a fish, a hand, or abstract – a wavy line, an explosion, a wobbly shape." 

The Victoria-based artist has blended her varied artistic expertise, including work in textiles, illustration and large-scale installation, to create the dynamic design. 

She used craft-based collaging techniques to create texture and variety. 

"I work in collage a lot and thought paper collage was the best way to show the patchwork concept and to give it a more graphic or contemporary feel," Beci explained. 

"I collect paper from all over the place and used some of the special pieces I've been hoarding and then layered them with other mediums to create different textures." 

Inspiration was also taken from both natural environments at Randwick and Westmead to create interactive discovery features. 

"The patchwork has a ‘finding’ element which is an important part of the artwork and lift users can discover something different each time they travel," said Beci.

“I hope it makes them feel calm, happy, hopeful and could potentially prompt more discussions about the environment outside the hospital too." 

Beci Opin is one of almost a dozen Australian artists who have created unique work to transform the inside of the lifts at Randwick and Westmead’s new buildings. 

The art commission is part of the redevelopment project’s broader Arts, Play and Discovery initiative, which you can read more about here: Young people help design art elements in new hospitals | The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.