In the entrance hall of Waterford Regional Hospital at Ardkeen children play daily with interactive elements of a major piece of public sculpture.
The hospital's corridors, offices and wards are hung with original paintings and high-quality prints, and patients and staff regularly participate in practical art sessions.
The concept of using the arts to enhance life in the hospital and contribute to the healing process has been grasped enthusiastically by WRH in a quiet but innovative project that is developing year by year.
Florence Nightingale noted in 1885 that surrounding sick people with objects of colour and beauty could generate a means of recovery. The healing arts project at WRH is developing this principle in a structured way, and the hospital is gradually becoming a showcase for art.
In 1990, when the building of the new regional hospital was approved, a group of people came together. They shared a belief that the introduction of the arts into the hospital would enhance the quality of life for patients, staff and visitors.
This concept had been growing in the UK and elsewhere, but was new to Ireland. It was strongly promoted by Dr Abdul Bulbulia, who had worked in hospitals in Ireland, England and Scotland and was a significant patron of the arts in Waterford.
An Arts Committee was established, and the first initiative was to commission a major work of sculpture for the foyer.
A competition was held, and the winning proposal was the present installation by Remco de Fouw based on the theme of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.
With the Arts Council's support, the committee went on to appoint an artist-in-residence, Aifric Gray, in January 1994 and then to develop an ambitious action plan.
With a training in art therapy and a background in community development and community arts, Ms Gray set up project groups in the hospital and introduced practical arts activities to the psychiatric and paediatric wards.
Meanwhile, works of art were being acquired and borrowed, and the hospital now has its own permanent collection, as well as paintings and sculptures on loan from the Arts Council and the Waterford Municipal Collection.
Art is evident throughout the busy hospital. Exhibitions by guest artists are hung regularly in the corridors, enhancing previously blank and cheerless areas.
The project is developing on several fronts. The hospital has recently advertised the offer of a studio to an artist interested in working in the healing context for six months, and a "garden of healing" sculpture project is taking shape in the grounds.
A widely representative hospital arts trust is being formed, and work has begun on a major seminar this autumn where the model of the healing arts developed at WRH will be introduced nationally.
The Friends of Waterford Regional Hospital have rowed in with fund-raising and support activities, and the large and eye-catching piece of tapestry work which they created over 21/2 years is a strong feature in the entrance lobby.
The action plan aims to demystify the arts and break down boundaries between the professions through involvement in arts activities.
"It is an evolutionary process of education and development," says Dr Bulbulia. "There are over 900 people working in the hospital every day, so the whole concept is to bring art to the people."
Links have been established between the hospital and the wider community, notably with the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, which also has appointed an arts co-ordinator and is developing an arts programme.
There are plans to extend the activities into other arts, such as music, drama and poetry, and to establish a "creative play-space" for children in the paediatric department.
The hospital is documenting its experience with the project, A video is in production and publication of a three-year report is in progress. There are plans for extension work with youth groups, women's groups and the older members of the community.
Whole areas of the hospital have been enlivened by the presence of works of art. Members of the arts team say patients, staff and visitors benefit from an environment that is pleasant, comfortable and visually attractive.
"There has been a very positive feedback," says Eimer Flanagan, secretary-administrator with the project. "It takes the clinical look out of the hospital."
The garden of healing in the grounds will be a place for patients, their relatives and hospital staff to sit and enjoy an atmosphere of peace away from the bustle of hospital life.
In WRH, the arts are helping to raise the more human side of health care without infringing on clinical efficiency. This policy is in line with a growing awareness internationally of the importance of a holistic approach to health, and the benefits of the Waterford project stand as a practical example for other institutions in the health sector.