“The Healers” by Lorenna Grant
The Busselton Health Campus public art project was a fundamental part of the State Government’s initiative to enhance the landscape and surroundings of the newly refurbished health campus. Artist Lorenna Grant’s sculptures do just that and are astonishing bespoke focal art pieces that complement their surroundings.
Lorenna Grant was awarded the project to create two public artworks and was inspired by the winds that blew off the Indian Ocean, the Busselton Jetty, the possums tail and the coiling snakes of the Hippocratic Oath. She designed unique steel and timber sculptures known as “the Healers” which are displayed in the hospital courtyard and main foyer of the new campus. Lorenna has a high regard for nature and will often integrate her art to the landscape and creates astonishing pieces where art and ecology merge into one.
Lorenna collaborated with DENMAC on her concept and how to execute the feature external steel and timber artwork with its challenging spiralling and tapering design. The biggest challenge was how to combine the timber with the steel elements. DENMAC designed a 3D model and design drawings for Lorenna, steel support structures which resembled a roller coaster were then fabricated by the team in the factory. Meticulous attention was given to every detail of production to ensure the structure would capture Lorenna’s vision. The steel support structures formed the frame of the sculpture which was then clad in re-cycled peppermint tree timber sourced from the Busselton Health Campus sites.
The frame was transported to local Narrogin Joiner Stan Samulkiewicz who specialises in wood bending and has developed special techniques using heat blending. Stan teamed up with Lorenna to complete the cladding works on the steel frame. This was then transported to the Bussleton Health Campus for installation by the DENMAC team.
The commissioned 4m (h) x 7m (l) x 4m (w) sculpture posed its own problems as DENMAC had to ensure the timber components were not compromised during the erection process. Large concrete footings were first installed then the base of the artwork had short steel support legs fixed to the footings. Cranage was used to lift the final piece into place.
