The Valley

This book is dedicated to my wonderful wife Francine.

For her poems that bring tears to my eyes.

For her endurance and perseverance.

The Valley The design, photography and artwork in this book are Copyright Š2014 by the author Michael Critchley.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any mechanical or electronic means without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Photography: Michael Critchley Design/Text: Michael Critchley Poetry: Francine Critchley

In June 2013 an ‘Interested Parties’ email was sent out to various local artist groups/individuals asking for participation in the production of artworks for the new Clitheroe Hospital. I replied with a short CV and a link to my website. The response was very positive and I was asked to attend a meeting of local interested parties in August. Unfortunately we were on holiday in Cotignac but I was assured of a second meeting in November where we would be taken on site to view possible areas for the displaying of artworks. Four people attended this meeting; two teachers from local schools, a member of a local embroidery group, and myself. A theme titled ‘Bringing the Outside In’ with a ‘WOW’ factor for impact was proposed and we were asked to prepare appropriate artworks incorporating a poem the architects had suggested running around three walls of the reception area.

My initial design was met with a positive WOW response and I was asked to develop the idea further and would I be interested in being part of the development team to workout the logistics of coordinating all the artworks. Of course I would; who wouldn’t?

Further meetings refined the display areas, and also a request to produce a slideshow of my photos from the local area, to be displayed on two 55” television screens installed in the reception area. I realised I didn’t have enough photographs for a 20 – 30 minute show covering all four seasons so I suggested involving my local camera club. The club responded with about 400 photos, enough to produce three slideshows lasting about thirty minutes each.

Two of the three local schools participating responded with themed works, but due to contamination restrictions in the displaying of artworks within a hospital environment, there was a possibility they couldn’t be hung.

In order to have their work shown, I suggested photographing all the individual pieces and the students actually doing their work, for inclusion in their own slideshow. I got the go-ahead from the hospital management and schools involved and set about arranging a photography schedule.

Two months later I had five slideshows of students at work on their nature projects.

Together, the finished mural and slideshows displayed in the reception area, provide a wonderful visual solution to the requested theme of ’Bringing the Outside In‘.

The Mural

show us. The process bakes a print onto the

Knowing the maximum print size was

alternative way of displaying photographic prints

metal, glass, concrete or brick surface and is

6ft x 3ft I devised a grid system to cover the area

other than conventional framing or printing on

impervious to the weather, fading or scratching

with a combination of regular sized rectangles

canvas. My brother Simon mentioned he’d seen

and graffiti is easily removed.

and squares. To this was added an indication

Early 2013 I was on the lookout for an

some prints on glass and metal produced by a

When I heard about the restrictions and

of where and how the poem would be included.

printer not far from his house. So we both went

regulations governing the display of artworks in

I thought it would be an interesting idea to

round to visit him and I was most surprised by

hospitals, I thought of this process and also the

incorporate the window as a starting point

the quality and durability of the samples he could

possible ease of installation.

for the grid system.

Original concept submitted for consideration.

Having spent my whole career as a graphic

out during the school holidays when I photographed

designer I was used to meetings, discussions and

the last of the students work. Again, back to the

client changes so it was no surprise that once it was

drawing board to re-arrange the pieces on the grid

under way a suggestion of including ‘corporate

system and send an email off for approval.

colours’ came up. “Why wasn’t this mentioned before?”

Approval was quick and I was able to

No matter; it was easily fixed and made as much

calculate final sizes for the printer, write a cd with

sense as blank nature colours.

all the files and have them delivered for printing

I had to allow space for the inclusion of the schools project but had no idea what format the images would take. This was finally worked

by 23 April.

The poem, written by a local poet, was typed into Illustrator along the approximate path on the walls indicated by the architects.

The corporate typeface of Arial was used and scaled up and down to find the required type size, which worked out to be approximately three inches high. This poem would be printed in small sections as sticky stencils and applied on top of the mural after it’s installation. This was done by Douglas Signs of Blackburn.

The large coloured squares are 1ft x 1ft divided into 12, 1 inch squares making the letter cap height for ‘Bowland’ of 3 inches.

The smaller mural to the left of the main mural is a preliminary space allocation for telling the history of the old and new hospital.

Slideshows I was very happy with the software I chose to make the

slideshows – FotoMagico 4 – but I didn’t realise how time consuming creating them would be. Even with sophisticated software, testing the blending and motion from one slide to another can take a long time as two or three slides have to be viewed to see the desired effect “…hmm that rotation is too fast!” “No! The blend takes too long and finishes too quickly!” and when you have about 360 slides, that adds up to a lot of viewing time.

The Wards The initial brief was to supply thirty

two images for the thirty two beds within the hospital. These images were initially to be

me to photograph anything I thought relevant

allocated for the project, so as a designer

for my project.

I decided to use Photo Library images from

Unfortunately a few weeks into the

123rf.com with whom I had an account.

To make the whole image come to life

designed in such a way that patients suffering

photography, I was asked to broaden my

with dementia would recognise their beds by

range of images to include younger patients,

with extra depth, I decided to add a title and

the image positioned above them.

not just those with dementia. This meant that

descriptive wording which Francine wrote

the scale of images would have to include

in the form of prose poetry. I love these

in collecting and showing memorabilia from the

sizes from coins to cars. I wasn’t equipped

personal poems from her memories,

1930’s to the 1960’s and they were happy for

to produce this photography in the time

they make all the difference.

I found a small museum that specialised

The Valley

The Valley restaurant is situated on the ground floor about 15 metres

from the reception area and needed a few images to give it atmosphere.

I decided to go for one large image over the dining bench to emphasise

the length of the Ribble Valley where we live and also to include the pixelation theme from the reception mural with it’s corporate colours and wild life images. Francine’s beautiful prose poem became the main feature and to read it all would give diners the incentive to linger longer over an extra coffee.

The Valley image is 3000mm x 850mm and is a 1.2gb Photoshop file.

It was printed, mounted and installed by Douglas Signs of Blackburn.

The pixelation was created on a duplicate background layer with some trial and error in Photoshop, and blended with the original image using the advanced blending options.

The Canteen The canteen on the first floor is used by staff and patients

as a place to relax and get away from the tedium of the ward.

A fireplace was installed in the lounge section to give a homely

feel and my contribution to the idea was to include the proverbial Three Ducks above it. The three central ducks appeared quite lonely on their own so I added a flock to fill in the space.

Having used the window in reception above the mural, as part of the mural, I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate these four windows into the design theme of ‘Bringing the Outside in’. This led me to the idea of blown leaves in the corridor escaping through the window frames and into the canteen. To make the image more realistic I added reflections from the other windows onto the leaves giving the impression that the leaves are in the corridor behind the wall.

(Turn the page to see the final image).

Craig Henderson discussing the finished installation with Douglas Signs of Blackburn.

The ‘Blown Leaves’ theme continued directly behind in the corridor outside the canteen.

Here the view is looking out at Pendle Hill and you can compare the difference between having reflections or no refections. Transparent stencils were used on the glass to complete the illusion.

With reflections.

Without reflections.

The initial brief was to have six images on four of the walls in the canteen. At the time of this project I was exploring Kaleidoscopic images with the many leaves I use in my artworks.

The oxygen and power outlets on the wall restricted me from using large wide images so I designed these kaleidoscopes to be the same height as the windows and fit between the outlets.

These images were rejected in favour of the leaves blowing through the corridor which followed the ’Bringing the Outside in’ theme more succinctly.

I could see the potential in the mystery and intricacy of the kaleidoscopes that I was determined to show them somewhere – see The Corridors chapter.

These walls originally had a nature theme and I submitted the images as artworks with added textures and colours and not just normal photographs,

but the committee was leaning toward straight landscapes of the area so that was the decision. The following pages show some of the arty examples I proposed.

Daffodilly

The Corridors

The following two images for the first floor corridors were meant as sign-posts or reference points.

“Turn right at the ‘Acorns’ and keep going” or “Go down there to the ‘Conkers’ and turn left.” The conkers denote the sand and red coloured wards whilst the acorns denote the aqua and blue wards.

I felt the conkers and acorns were quite appropriate and distinctive as far as seeds go, especially with the

many conker trees in the hospital grounds, and using them as kaleidoscopes has created intricate and fascinating images which are quite different to the proverbial flowers you can see in any waiting room or corridors.

The pages following these ‘corridor’ images are my exploration of leaves and seeds using kaleidoscope software to blend the photographs together. I find them fascinating and beautiful.

by Francine Critchley

“

A cloak of green, a misty scene, through trees and branches dappled light.

My journey turns to every sight, of rising fells, or bluebell dells, while underfoot a pathway trod.

A ridge, a stile, a fence nearby, my journey turns to every sight, while here and there the bovine stare, and sheep with fleece immobile stand.

Till close I pass, they choose to grass another hillock. Off they plod.

The River Ribble, rumbles rough, and winds its way, snaking path it travels fast.

The roar and flume of weir and swell, rising, falling, rain run-off brown.

The murky waters, secrets deep, pass through the Bowland village, or town.

My journey turns to every sight, and here the birds will take flight.

The Valley opens a country door of natural beauty, Lancaster’s seat.

The hills, the sounds, the meadows sweet.

Hamlet or village, a Tudor rose. My journey turns to every sight, as history tells of flight or fight.

”