“Foxglove”
“Foxglove”
Foxglove, San Antonio, Texas
“Foxglove”
“Foxglove”, in the lobby of San Antonio’s new University Hospital Tower, is a glowing lantern greeting visitors from outside and inside. Its form may be reminiscent of the familiar wildflower whose graceful blossom can be found each spring around the country. The botanical term for foxglove is “digitalis”, once a common heart medicine derived from the foxglove plant. However, the blossom can be deadly if eaten, so there is an intriguing tension between foxglove’s therapeutic and toxic qualities—the type of delicate balance that is common in modern health care practice. The terrazzo floor, also designed by Ed Carpenter, extends the sculpture, and draws one into its realm to discover views up inside “Foxglove”.
