For decades, the colourful murals in the Children's Pavilion at Dunedin Hospital injected a playful element into an otherwise austere atmosphere.
But as the pavilion empties of services, the murals are being recorded for posterity.
Yesterday film-maker Craig Storey was recording and photographing murals on two upper floors.
The late John Noakes painted them in the 1980s.
The University of Otago has leased the floors to refit as offices.
They were vacated when the new paediatric ward opened in the hospital.
The murals will be painted over, although they will survive in foyers. The ground floor, where children's services remain for the time being, was also unaffected.
Southern District Health Board infrastructure director Peter Beirne said the university would use the offices in part for housing staff during the dental school redevelopment.
There were two leases, one of almost three years, and one of almost four years.
At some point, the pavilion is likely to be demolished to make way for a new clinical services building, but that is years down the track.
The images on the ground floor would be recorded at some stage, Mr Beirne said.
The board would use the refurbished floors for its own staff when the lease terms expire.
''The bonus for us is that they do the fit-out, and we get to keep that [refurbished office space].''
The art advisory committee contracted Mr Storey for the posterity project, but the board was keen to contribute financially by ordering prints from the project, Mr Beirne said.
Taking a brief break from the work, Mr Storey told the Otago Daily Times the vibrant and fun images gave a sense of hope and opportunity to young patients, many of whom might have felt despondent about being stuck in hospital.
''This is a place where a great deal of emotions have been spilt.''
