Within the Children’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Sydney Children’s Hospital, infection control measures prevent the installation of traditional art forms. This limits the opportunity for artistic engagement by children, families and staff, at a time when they need it the most.

The Curtain Project sought to provide an opportunity for patients and siblings to produce artworks which have been interpreted by artist Marc Etherington. These have then been used to design a custom disposable curtain and installed with ICU at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.

Our ambition is that this project pushes the boundaries of what we consider the function of medical equipment within the health environment, and how we might employ new approaches to design which engage and enhance the experience of children and young people and their families.

Over 160 families were surveyed to determine the theme of the curtain, Australian Plants and Animals. Followed by series of workshops with patients and siblings, many with a lived experience of care provided by ICU.

We gratefully thank our participating patient and sibling artists who contributed to this project: Alex - frog (8 years old), Blake – parrot (8 years old), Maddie – wattle (9 years old), Odhran - platypus (13 years old), Remy – koala (11 years old), Samira – wattle and banksia (18 years old), Syd – cassowary (12 years old) and Thomas - kangaroo (15 years old).