Rooted in Care
Fifteen site-specific watercolours for University Hospital Limerick
Commissioned 2024 · Completed 2025
Self-heal, watercolour by Tracy Sweeney, translated onto textured wall vinyl for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Limerick.
Inspired by resilience
From the wild flora of the Burren to the fragile first days of life, Rooted in Care explores an unlikely kinship.
Commissioned in 2024 as a permanent artwork installation for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Limerick, the project was completed in 2025 and comprises fifteen original watercolours inspired by the resilient flora of the Burren. Each plant was selected for its medicinal associations and symbolic qualities, connecting a landscape shaped by exposure and survival with the vulnerability and resilience of premature life.
Bugle, watercolour by Tracy Sweeney, translated onto textured wall vinyl for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Limerick.
A Sensitive Approach to Materials and Space
Sweeney chose watercolour for its fluidity and transparency, qualities that allowed the botanical forms to remain delicate and atmospheric. The muted palette of lilac, mint, pale blue and soft pink was developed to create a gentle visual language appropriate to the environment, with the intensity of colour carefully considered in relation to the different spaces within the unit: bolder hues were used in public areas, while desaturated tones were chosen for critical care rooms to create a calm, low-arousal atmosphere.
Bog cotton, watercolour by Tracy Sweeney. Historically used in Ireland for padding mattresses and lining infants’ clothing.
From honeysuckle in the reception area—symbolising growth through support—to milkwort in the lactation room, each plant was also selected for its medicinal associations and symbolic meaning. The work communicates a deep sense of place, resilience, and healing, reflecting the journey of premature babies and the quiet strength of their families.
Woodbine and red-clover, watercolour by Tracy Sweeney. Historically used in treatments for childhood illnesses such as jaundice.
Rooted in Care, installation view, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital Limerick.
Each original painting was digitally scanned at high resolution and translated onto textured, hygienic wall vinyl, allowing the artworks to become part of the architecture while meeting infection-control requirements. The resulting works extend beyond the frame of the original paintings, transforming the watercolours into an immersive visual environment across the neonatal unit.
A Collaborative Journey
Throughout the project, Sweeney worked closely with clinical staff, architects, and curators to ensure the artwork resonated with the people who would experience it daily. She made multiple visits to the hospital to engage with the NICU team, listening to their insights and adapting the work to meet their needs.
The result is a body of work that responds to its setting while remaining rooted in Sweeney’s wider practice of exploring place, materiality and human experience.
Early Purple Orchid, watercolour by Tracy Sweeney, installed as part of Rooted in Care.
Project Credits
Commissioned by University Hospital Limerick under the Per Cent for Art Scheme
Curated by Aoife Ruane, Highlanes Gallery
Architecture: dk Architects, Limerick. Deirdre Kelly, Architect
Prof. Roy Philip, Consultant Neonatologist
Artwork: Tracy Sweeney
Ivy leaves and berries, painted by Tracy Sweeney for the walls of the SCBU at University Hospital Limerick.