CHILDRENS' GAMES TAPESTRY, RCH

"The Games Children Play" is a tapestry by Robert Ingpen commissioned by the Royal ChildRoyal Children's Hospital Foundation as a tribute to Dame Elisabeth Murdoch's 75 year relationship with the hospital. There is a well established understanding of the importance between art and hospital environments, and the tapestry is a playful way to provide those using the Children's Hospital facilities with a colourful and amusing distraction while they may be at the hospital for more serious concerns.

Established in 1989 the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation works tirelessly to raise funds for a number of different projects such as state-of-the-art medical equipment, ongoing paediatric research programs and scholarships for medical and allied health professional staff at the Royal Children's Hospital.

Born in 1936, Robert Ingpen's diverse career has encompassed book illustration, stamp design, public mural commissions and sculptural design as well an active fine art practice.

Ingpen has illustrated and/or written over 100 published books, both fiction and non-fiction including illustrating the iconic Storm Boy written by Colin Thiele, published in 1975, and illustrating a 1982 edition of Clancy of the Overflow, by Banjo Patterson. Ingpen has a long standing relationship with the ATW. He was the designing artist for the Melbourne Cricket Ground tapestry, launched in 2004. Robert also designed the monumental bronze MCG doors.

The inspiration for this tapestry design comes from a painting titled Games Children Play by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, painted in 1590. Robert Ingpen, using the format and flat picture plane of this work as a starting point, has re-set and re-cast this work in the twenty first century.

This post is part of the Monday Murals meme,

and also part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme,

and also part of the Mellow Yellow Monday meme.