Hannah Quinlivan – Whispers of the Wetlands, peninsula university hospital
T Projects were appointed as the lead project curators for the Frankston Hospital Redevelopment, now known as Peninsula University Hospital.
We were delighted to join the Exemplar Health consortium, which includes Capella Capital, Lendlease, Honeywell and Compass, with the design team including Bates Smart, Conrad Gargett, WSP and Waterman AHW.
T Projects are proud to present Whispers of the Wetlands, a major new public art commission by artist Hannah Quinlivan, created for the main entrance of the Frankston Hospital Redevelopment now known as Peninsula University Hospital.
Spanning the full length of the entry wall, the work combines a large‑scale mural with a suspended sculptural layer, forming a quietly immersive experience for patients, visitors, staff and families as they arrive at the hospital. Positioned above the reception area, the artwork establishes gives all visitors a striking first impression.
Hannah’s concept draws inspiration from the Carrum Carrum Wetlands and the Edithvale–Seaford wetland systems that once shaped the Frankston landscape. Though much of this environment now lies hidden beneath the urban life, its traces remain embedded in the land. Flowing lines and rippling forms reference waterways, valleys and dormant riverbeds that re‑emerge with rainfall, evoking the resilience and quiet persistence of natural systems over time.
Crafted from handcrafted aluminium and finished with a reflective chrome coating, the sculptural elements hover above the painted mural, catching and refracting light throughout the day. Together, the mural and sculpture create a sense of movement that shifts with changing viewpoints and lighting conditions, echoing the rhythms of water and the body alike.
Whispers of the Wetlands offers a poetic meditation on healing - drawing parallels between the life‑sustaining role of water in the landscape and processes of care, recovery and renewal within the hospital setting. By bringing the presence of nature and water into the heart of the building, the work invites reflection on the interconnectedness of environment and wellbeing, and on the enduring relationship between healing people and healing Country.
Client
Victorian Health Building Authority
Artist
Project Team
Capella CapitalLendlease, Honeywell, Bates Smart, Conrad Gargett, WSP and Waterman AHW
Renders
Courtesy of Bates Smart
hannah quinlivan
Hannah Quinlivan completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Australian National University (ANU) in 2013 and pursued a PhD at the ANU School of Art & Design. Her practice has been recognised by curators and collectors alike for her skilful exploration of ideas around human movement, emotional cognition and time’s flowing passage.
Quinlivan has participated in various international exhibitions. In 2016, she exhibited Spatialisation at Pembroke College during the Time and Temporality conference at Cambridge University and toured with Project Field Trip through Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. She performed Immobilised at the Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik in Berlin in 2017 and held a solo exhibition, Pellucid, at Colorado State University. In 2018, she presented her solo show Impulses, Restraints, Tones at Jan Kossen Contemporary in New York. In 2019, she was part of MINIARTEXTIL in Como, Italy.
In Australia, Quinlivan has had solo exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra (2020, 2019, and 2016), the Town Hall Gallery in Melbourne (2019), and the Canberra Museum and Art Gallery (2017). She has been featured in group shows like Contour554 in Canberra (2022 and 2020), Drawn to Experience at Queensland College of Art (2015), MOTION at Bega Valley Regional Gallery (2015), and the Australian Print Triennial at Art Vault Mildura (2015).
Her work is included in collections such as the National Gallery of Australia, The Australian High Commission in Singapore, ACT Legislative Assembly Art Collection, Arthur & Suzie Roe Collection, Justin Art House Museum, Deakin University Art Collection, The Australian National University, KPMG Art Collection, Shire of East Pilbara, Philip Cox Collection, Ormond College Collection, and various private collections.
