CONNECT, the ambitious public art programme for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust’s Louisa Martindale Building, was unveiled when the new building, part of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, opened in June 2023.

CONNECT worked with 24 leading national and international artists, as well as with many local artists, arts organisations, and community members to create more than 150 original artworks that ‘Connect with Place’, celebrating Brighton, Sussex, the coast, and the unique character and cultures of the communities who live here.

This celebratory arts programme supports the wellbeing of patients, visitors and staff by making the hospital feel more welcoming, helping people find their way round, providing distraction and enjoyment, and ensuring people feel cared for.

The commissioned artworks permeate every area of the building from the main welcome space to waiting rooms, quiet rooms and clinical spaces.

Patients and visitors are greeted by ‘Wrapped’ a composition of colourful, handmade, ceramic tiles by Kate Blee that wrap the columns throughout the welcome space. These landmark tiled columns sit alongside a bespoke reception desk designed by Blee in collaboration with the architects BDP.

Brighton, the coast, the South Downs, and Sussex are celebrated in every one of the building’s 36 waiting rooms through photographs taken by Murray Ballard, Zoe Childerley, Celine Marchbank and Helen Sear as part of the Waiting Rooms Photography Project in collaboration with Brighton-based Photoworks.

Thirteen artists and designers, many of them Brighton-based, were commissioned as part of the Art and Wayfinding project to create large-scale illustrations depicting local landmarks from Brighton, Sussex and the local coastline. These graphic wall works, printed and installed by VGL large format printers, are placed in all the lift lobbies and department entrances to make it easier to find your way around.

A soothing atmosphere is created in each of the 26 ward quiet rooms through three bespoke wallpapers by Hannah Maybank which depict local flora from across Brighton, Sussex and the Coast.

These designs are extended onto ceiling tiles in key treatment rooms to create focal points and soften these clinical spaces.

The Sanctuary on the sixth floor of the building is a contemplative space supporting the human, emotional and spiritual needs of all who use the hospital including patients, visitors, and staff. Its interior has been designed by artist Sharon Ting, who has created a series of artworks to help people find solace, comfort and inspiration – including a bespoke altar and backlit panel, a contemplative wall mural, and glazed screens framing the view to the sea.

Sussex-based ceramic artist Marion Brandis has designed a series of artworks for the outside spaces of the Louisa Martindale Building including mosaic inlays, large mosaic spheres, jesmonite buoys and friendly seagulls.

Brighton-based arts collective Nimbus worked with Brighton artist and graphic novelist Daniel Locke on ‘Crucible’, a permanent artwork and online archive celebrating the history and heritage of the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Brighton-based arts organisation ONCA and artist Sarah Bennett, delivered Emerge, a programme of creative activities designed to support the wellbeing of staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital as they went through the process of transition from the old to the new.

Read more about the CONNECT programme here