The job: Hospital art curator Artworks in a hospital are not sealed in an ivory tower. They have a therapeutic purpose, creating a sense of calm for patients and staff. Banks, head offices and emergency waiting rooms are more similar than you would think, from a curator's perspective. I took care of collections for NatWest and RBS before joining the charity affiliated with Imperial College Healthcare. In each case, I have had to consider how art functions in a public forum. I look after 1,600 works across five hospitals with the help of a committee. I have to think about the presentation, preservation and selection of pieces. The mortuary at St Mary's hospital was a difficult commission. We looked for something reassuring but not religious. Sarah Bray produced an abstract drawing with the effect of birds flying across a landscape. The major trauma centre there features a striped mural, evoking order and tranquillity in an area characterised by stress. St Mary's has just opened a surgical innovation centre, with state-of-the-art theatres and robotics. We wanted cutting-edge artists and acquired works by Tracey Emin, John Baldessari and Rachel Whiteread, who made her prints using lasers.