All Aboard for Hospital Project

The brief was to design an interactive playroom for the emergency department of Auckland’s Starship children’s hospital, based on a story by a renowned New Zealand children’s author.

For their part in the collaboration with Droga 5 and sponsors ASB, Beck and Cinzah hand painted a mural to illustrate Tessa Duder’s story, All Aboard. The tale sees a variety of animals and people take refuge on a retired couple’s boat, which must battle a storm to reach safety.

"The most challenging part of this job was working out how to create a space that incorporated all the required elements without it being too busy and chaotic,’ says Beck. ‘We wanted the space to be not only a place to play, but also a place for kids to feel safe and comfortable.’

To create an atmosphere of safety, they chose a colour palette that was predominately a monotone of blue. ‘We mixed all the base colours from a single tin of blue paint, adding white to create a tonal range,’ says Beck. ‘From this base we then added bright accent colours to highlight points of visual interest.’

For both artists, the project was an opportunity to invest more than their artistic talents.

"I have worked on numerous mural installations, but this would definitely have to be one of the most rewarding projects to undertake,’ Cinzah says.

The hours of labour and love that went into crafting the mural were all worth it. ‘It's great to see how much of an effect it has had on the hospital staff, patients, and general uplift of atmosphere within an environment typically sterile and visually uninspiring,’ Cinzah says.

For Beck, what stood out was seeing the project come to life during the installation process.

Cinzah’s favourite element was the 'toy box', which staff dubbed 'the sailing ship' after the children started climbing into it, ‘utilizing their imagination and creativity’.

"We’re thrilled with how the concept come together for ASB and Starship. Everyone involved in the project has worked incredibly hard to ensure we created something special that will last for many years to come." - James Polhill, Droga5 New Zealand.