A sculptural greeting of colour and wonder
Remco de Fouw, an art lecturer at SETU and a renowned Irish artist, created Dandelion Clocks, a striking public art installation commissioned by Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) and has installed across their facilities, including the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, CHI Connolly, and CHI Tallaght. The series of five stainless-steel sculptures topped with clusters of prisms designed to refract sunlight into shifting rainbows.
At particular times of the day and year, sunlight caught by the prisms casts vivid rainbows into the surrounding hospital buildings, creating a living, dynamic interaction between the sculptures, nature, and the architecture. This celebrated installation also underscores the innovative creative practice fostered within SETU, contributing expertise and inspiration to the next generation of artists.
Healing through art in healthcare spaces
The Dandelion Clocks installation at Children’s Health Ireland showcases how creative practice can positively shape healthcare environments - an approach that resonates strongly with SETU’s commitment to innovation, design, and community well-being.
Developed through CHI’s Arts in Health programme, the sculptures use light, colour, and playful interaction to create a more uplifting atmosphere for young patients, their families, and staff. The installation also reflects CHI’s focus on emotional and psychological support as an integral part of care.
“We are thrilled to see these beautiful sculptures now installed across all CHI sites.”
Mary Grehan Arts in Health Curator at CHI.
Engaging the community
To strengthen the connection between art, community, and young people, Remco collaborated with artist Fernanda Ferrari during CHI’s Creating Rainbows summer camps. Children, including those of CHI staff, explored light, shadow, colour, and the science behind rainbows through hands-on workshops.
Supported by SETU, the camps not only celebrated Remco’s Dandelion Clocks but also embodied their spirit, fostering creativity, play, and the magical intersection of science and childhood imagination.
Artist Spotlight
Remco is a multidisciplinary Irish artist and art lecturer at SETU, based in southeast Ireland. He is renowned for large-scale public sculptures, installation pieces, and fine art photography that often explores the intersection of scientific inquiry and metaphor, investigating relationship with elemental matter, perception, and time.
He graduated with a first-class honours degree in Fine Art Sculpture from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. Over his career, he has completed many public commissions, including motorway sculptures such as Perpetual Motion (with Rachel Joynt) to memorials and environmental works. Remco received recognition from the Arts Council bursaries and the RCSI Art Award, showcasing his contribution to contemporary Irish art.