FREEPORT GRAND RIVER HEALTH CARE CENTRE

"Eight Tone Poems” is a Donor Recognition project intended to help raise money over time. The eight coloured windows line the north-facing side of a corridor which wraps around a central exterior courtyard.

This north-facing location is quiet – the coloured windows build on the existing character of the space to create a contemplative zone for sitting and walking. The windows, while strongly coloured, are quite sheer, and alternate with clear windows, maintaining views through to the courtyard gardens.

The window frames have been designed so that individual panes are easily removable for the addition of donors’ names over time. Several levels of giving are articulated by various sizes and styles of font.

The central panels incorporate an anthology of poetry selected by the artist. Over forty Canadian poets ranging from historical to contemporary are represented.

The use of poetry allows for a great wealth of content and imagery which is subtle and unobtrusive – it may be engaged or not as suits the viewer. The individual windows function also as simple ‘colour chords’ or mood pieces, some cheerful and bright, some quiet and contemplative.

Family members, volunteers and staff often wheel patients around the corridor – especially in the winter this space is used as a perambulatory pathway for daily walks.

As many of the patients have cognitive impairments, the design brief mandated against projected light entering the corridor space directly. Use of the north-facing windows eliminates projected light except in the early morning (summertime) when the colour projects on the surrounding columns.

The poems and donors’ names (as well as clear edging of panels) are acid-etched into coloured, flashed mouth-blown glass - a very difficult technical process. This project represents an unprecedented technical achievement in the medium.