Consultancy + Public Art

PRAYER ROOM

John Newling

Worcestershire Royal Hospital NHS Trust, 2002

Through invited competition John Newling was commissioned by the chaplaincy of Worcestershire Royal Hospital NHS Trust to produce a work for the new multi-faith prayer room within the hospital. Newling’s stained-glass window work set in the door of the prayer room used ideas of the DNA double helix as a powerful symbol of our biological interconnectedness.  The booklet, ‘Prayer Not of Proof but of Love’ with text by John Newling was published by Worcester hospital’s chaplaincy to accompany this commissioned artwork.

“...The stained-glass was made by a brilliant stained-glass artist Melanie Pope based in Leicester at the time. Melanie worked from a full size drawing I had made. The whole project was managed by Rachel Bradley who was so calm, a huge asset in managing a commission, and was great to work with. A few years later I was installing a work, but I cannot remember where, it may have been a version of ‘Stamping Uncertainty’ in Worcester Cathedral but not sure, when a group of nurses from the hospital, on a night out, turned up to say thank you to me; I will never forget that…” | John Newling