Microscape by Michael Brennand-Wood was commissioned in 2015 for the new Addenbrooke’s Clinical Research Centre on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Fabricated in corten steel, the work draws on Brennand-Wood’s long standing interest in pattern, material and cultural mapping. Conceived as an imaginary landscape, it reflects the communities who use the hospital – patients and visitors, clinical staff, and biomedical researchers. The commission was developed in collaboration with RHP Architects.

Although commissioned for the Clinical Research Centre, Microscape is sited at the entrance to the Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre, where most people encounter it as they arrive. Its layered patterning incorporates both medical and cultural references, creating a surface designed to reveal new details over many viewings. Brennand Wood describes pattern as meditative, calming and inclusive, offering an immediate visual point of connection for people entering the hospital, many of whom may be anxious or distracted. The warm, vibrant orange of the corten steel was chosen for its associations with energy, vitality and good health.

The work animates the approach to the building, offering a moment of visual pause within a busy clinical environment.

Microscape forms part of an ambitious and ongoing programme of artist commissions for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus

Image: ‘Microscape’ by Michael Brennand-Wood
Photograph: Courtesy of the artist