How can new forms of creativity be incorporated as a healing element in hospital environments?
1. Which patients are most likely to suffer from depression during the healing stages in the hospital?
2. If there was a dedicated room to healing art forms, such as projections, mandalas, sound, and scent, do you think this would encourage patients to be more positive and assist with depressive tendencies?
3. Do you feel your working day would be more relaxed if patients were calmer and emotionally lighter?
4. Due to the existing interior spaces in hospitals does this affect your mood on a daily basis?
On Tuesday the class gathered to investigate and hear more about the Outernet Arts Now Building. It is located next to the Tottenham Court Road Station and has the intention to present works of new, as well as established artists on enormous screens. It is accessible to everyone, is free, and is in fact the biggest exhibition space in Europe on a digital basis.
At the point of our visit artworks of ”Studio Pixel Artworks” called ”The Spaces In-Between”, as well as the work ”The Summer Palace” by digital artist ”Agustin Vidal Saavedra” was presented.
The interesting part about the space is the fact that it combines different art forms, such as storytelling, fashion, music, film, gaming, technology, and entertainment, which is relevant for my learning, as the space I would like to integrate into hospitals will also have different components of diverse art forms.
Personally, the artworks shown were extremely relevant for me and my project, since I investigated mandalas and art projections at the current point of my project. The artworks we saw were partly exactly combined with what I envision in my escape hospital rooms.
The only downside of the exhibition, which made it slightly less enjoyable was the fact that it was located outside, which in a city like London is more risky, as it can be windy or rainy, which makes you want to escape quicker from the exhibition space, instead of enjoying it to the fullest. Adding a few glass walls for wind protection could certainly help with this and would also not hide any of the art when passing by on the street.
The fact that it is so open creates awareness and makes it easily accessible to people who are not as interested in art or do not obtain a lot of art-related knowledge. With this, people who just pass by or usually would not go to a gallery are even able to see it and might begin to appreciate it.
Additionally, the positive side of the space is the fact that not only famous or already popular artists have the chance to show their works but also newcomers, which is not always the case, as many exhibition spaces do not give unknown creatives necessarily a chance to show their work in a huge spot like this.
It is also a way for art enthusiasts to find out about new creative people in the field.
Below you can find videos, as well as photos I took.
In order to find out more about how people who suffer from depression heal themselves with more natural tools, I asked someone directly who undertakes therapy, as well as tries different methods to relax and heal.
The following questions were being asked:
5 questions for classmate (depression related):
Have you ever realized that there any colours that you feel connected to and that relax you when you are feeling low?
Are there any of the following remedies that you use to relax you:
1. Lighting
2. Spaces
3.Nature
4. Sound
5. Touch
6. Visual
7. Sensory activity e.g. drawing, doodling, photography, creating pattern etc
8. Other – please specify
3. How do any of the above remedies relax you? Please describe your experience.
4. Have you tried unconventional approaches to healing in the UK or west, such as ancient nature based sciences (e.g. Feng Shui, Vastu Shastra,…)
5. Do you already try any alternative healing methods for your mental health?
Her answers regarding what colours relax her, she mentioned red and dark blue, which is interesting since red was a colour my participant in my intervention did not find too relaxing. Nevertheless, blue was a successful colour too when I tested it on one person. She finds herself relaxing when using methods, such as visiting spaces, in nature, listening to sound, with touch, visuals and with being creative, such as doodling.
She uses spaces to feel safe and feel like home and likes nature to escape the hectic town.
In terms of touch she mentioned hugs from people she loves, rather than just touching material or objects that can often be satisfying to people, which I originally thought of. In terms of visuals she finds herself being calm when watching a movie and with relaxing sounds on her phone to be more specific.
As a creative she can escape reality too when drawing, doodling and with photography, such as capturing moments with her friends.
Nevertheless, alternative methods were not tried by her yet, such as integrating Feng Shui in her life or going to art therapy.
Evaluation from the interview (via email):
Although I received interesting data regarding colours for healing and creative methods for relaxation, I found the overall responses lacking and realized that I needed to give further probing questions. However, the response also evidenced that people do not consider alternative methods alongside colour and creative strategies for healing.
On Monday we met again in our tutorial group to share and discuss our projects and ideas. Additionally, we all received helpful advice for our personal projects, as well as for the report. We were recommended to address our question at the end of the conclusion and to always connect the introduction with the conclusion. In the report, we can also reference our blog with appendices and add images, as well as videos in this section (appendices).
We were reminded that the difference on this course was to engage and test with real interventions in the outside world. Afterward, we are expected to provide evidence of this engagement, as well as the feedback from videos or photos. Our expertise always needs to be tested. We as students need to make sure that people want this idea and that it is properly checked and trialled.
When the tutor and I reflected on my topic, we realized that working with a specific kind of ward with specific diseases can be difficult, since my interventions would be tested with them. Nevertheless, it will be thought to bring all those people together and to receive access to this group of people. If my focus would be on autism, the interventions would be with no other than this group, which would be extremely difficult as a student. On top of that, certain allowances to work with them would most likely be needed.
Nevertheless, I realized other than patients as stakeholders, the workers are part of the daily hospital life too, which made me think of slightly changing my focus on the exact target audience. Nurses, porters, and cleaners are all highly important and their focus and well-being are just as important in order to not make any mistakes. Porters for instance transfer people from room to room and cleaners look out for hygiene. This made me take a step back from neurodiversity, but more info and clarity from interviews with doctors would be needed that could change this again.
Other than that, I was advised to make sure what the word ”environment” was more specific in my question and that it is crucial to know with who I am engaging and how. It should also be clear if the project is about space or the activity in the space.
It is important to also keep in mind that where limitations are, there are opportunities. For instance, would it be important what size the space is? The offered space could be limited by only being provided a small room from an institution. It would then need to be considered if the idea can even be implemented or possibly adapted.
Finally, we as the creators need to make sure that what we do is something that is of the target’s audience interest.
It could also be considered what all of the people in the hospital have in common/what unifies them and how everyone can benefit from it. Maybe certain elements work for many different groups. Meaning that something that works in one space could also work in another.
Gaining information also does not always mean to engage with the audience necessarily, but with the experts that engage with the audience daily.
For the project a marketing approach (e.g. social media campaigns or a marketing plan) could also be considered, since this was part of my BA.
My idea needs to be critically examined as to why it might be a better option than existing art therapy.
Mandala art isn’t just art that is beautiful to look at but can also work as a therapeutic tool as well. They can reduce stress and can be used as a contemplating tool. It can be also used by people of all ages and there is no need to have any talent in order to carry out this form of art. The creation of this kind of art is mostly about relaxing and having fun. Additionally, it can be a form to express yourself and is connected to many cultures, such as Native America, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Australian Aborigines.
Psychoanalyst Carl Jung described Mandalas also as “a representation of the unconscious self.” They are in a sense, a mirror of the person who creates it.
Besides the already-mentioned effects, they can also help people focus. Additionally, it is not an art form that people would be scared to engage with since you can’t do anything wrong with it or make it look unpleasing, as it is a geometric and symmetrical structure, which makes it more likely for more people to become a part of it.
This could be an art form that would be interesting to engage with in my escape hospital space and could also be used as a pattern light projection that people could view to relax. I could also envision this creation in the form of a video.
The mandala is additionally also used as a meditation tool by many people, which makes it ideal to integrate into my relaxing escape room hospital space.
This is an example of an engaging art form for children I saw in a shop window while walking down the street. In this case, an artist collaborated with this specific shop and this was their way of connecting the artist with the shop and its customers. Everyone could leave their unique mark and sign within the shop space which will make the shop visit memorable for children. It also connects them to the brand and creates a special bond between the shop and the visitors. I would want to recreate this similarly in my hospital environment and connect people with this. It would be accessible at all times other than art therapy and would be open to hospital visitors when needed. Thinking back to Yayoi Kusama who found it relaxing to draw a certain shape, in her case the dots, it could be interesting to see if there is a certain pattern behind drawing specific shapes and forms that could be interesting to observe in an intervention. In the future, for my hospital space there could be suggestions for forms to draw that will relax people if they don’t feel inspired for instance, and could then create a relaxing and healing effect.
For my first tutorial outside the tutor group within unit 3, I came prepared with a few questions, such as:
-Are there any books you can recommend for this topic?
-Are there any interesting spaces, exhibitions, or museums that work with light or are related to my topic and could be helpful?
-Are there any courses at CSM you are aware of that could help me with my project?
-How are we supposed to document our data? – Is it just on the blog?
-Thinking of primary, secondary, and auto-ethnographic research methods, are there any other methods I could use?
-Do I need to design something myself for this project or can we also collaborate?
->Or does it just need to be a concept for this unit?
As tutorial time is not long, I was not able to get into each of them, but the questions will still be relevant over the next few weeks within the project and tutorial sessions.
Nevertheless, I was able to share a few of the books that I found this week.
The full list can be found below:
-The mental health of nurses in the UK
-Therapy by Design: evaluating the UK hospital building program
-Healing Arts, Nutrition for the soul
-Healing Arts, The History of Art Therapy
-Touching space in hurt& healing: exploring experiences of illness& recovery through tactile art
-Touching& Imagining
In the tutorial we then began to discuss my research question:
How can new forms of creativity be incorporated as a healing element in hospital environments?
I was advised that a few points within this question are not quite clear and need change and clarity, such as new forms, which creates a bit of confusion. The question is if ”new” is the correct word to use here, as the art forms or creativity are not necessarily new. Replacing ”new” with ”alternative” would work better for instance and explaining that the topic wants to move away from more traditional art forms might make more sense than using the word ”creativity”. Also, it needs to be clear what forms of art it would be, such as sculpture or object.
In addition, it is necessary to think about what type of specific illness, patients, hospital departments, or who exactly would benefit from my installations or a specific type of art form within hospital environments. Could a specific type of art benefit a specific patient? It needs to be considered that different patients would react differently. Since I mentioned tactile art in my tutorial, I could make more research about this and consider who would especially need and benefit from it. It would also be important to start to consider how and what kind of patients react to my integration. This would be a question to be asking a neurologist or doctor for instance.
We came across the term neurodiversity and how this could be a term to research and could potentially benefit from my idea and concept.
Further than that, I was advised to move away from hospital environments during my research and possibly consider other spaces.
Over the next few days, I will restructure my research question.
In one of my classes in the MA Applied Imagination course, I realized the girl next to me drew triangles and different forms during breaks. I asked her about it and she explained that it is relaxing for her.
This made me think of Yayoi Kusama and other artists who draw and use art in order to heal and how this could be used as another tool in my hospital environment.
Artist Kasey Jones for instance used art to heal and feel more relaxed after her stroke. She describes it as wellness and gaining control back.
Ya-Wen Yang, another artist who suffered from depression, used it to confess and accept her feelings by recording them, which led to healing in her case.
Nevertheless, Yayoi Kusama might be one of the most famous examples, who used her art through her healing process. Painting dots was the escape space for her while suffering from hallucinations.
A fascinating example of Kusama’s work is the ‘Obliteration Room’, a room made for children that was completely white in the beginning and asked visitors to engage with the room by placing colorful stickers on the wall or elements in the room. This challenged the nature of children who usually are not allowed to touch art in spaces, but here were involved in making the art and leaving their own mark.
Ultimately, this inspired me to get the idea of using engaging art in my future creation in the hospital escape rooms. Motivating patients to draw specific forms, like Yayoi or my classmate, or using stickers on walls or chairs and all be part of a work of art (in this case all the hospital patients) which even potentially could be shown in an exhibition later on, could be one more healing form which could be integrated into the escape room. Hospital patients would realize they are not alone and would see they are part of a community.
For my second interview, I used the same questions for my Vastu interview, as I thought it would be advantageous in order to make a good comparison between both experts.
In relation to how Vastu science could encourage spaces for healing within a hospital environment, I was given an interesting link, which mentioned how Vastu in relation to hospitals is not considered by many, however, should be an aspect to contemplate. Especially, if a new hospital is in the planning stage, Vastu should be considered, in order to make patients feel comfortable during their hospital stay and also feel better after their whole stay. Healthcare is seeking ways to improve and they have begun to think of integrating natural landscapes inside and outside, to begin with, and in general to take better care of patients.
A few points, if a hospital was to be built according to Vastu science, would have to be considered:
What surrounds the hospital
The form/shape of the building itself
The entrance to the building
The location of the staircase
Location of the operation area and electric panels
Other suggestions for hospitals are to keep plants in general around, integrate water elements, natural light, and healing art or paintings. All of these factors are elements that I personally want to integrate into my escape and relaxing room within hospitals and therefore are important for me to investigate. The Kansas State University also found that adding plants into hospital rooms can accelerate the healing of patients. Plants clean the air and get rid of chemicals, which leads to better breathing and avoids dry air in rooms. It showed that people who were surrounded by plants had an easier recovery, less anxiety, and needed less heavy medicine. On top of that, it just creates a nice and enjoyable environment.
A few pros of Vastu at hospitals are the following:
Faster recovery times
A good reputation of the institution
A harmonious environment
Taking the stress away from patients and employees with a more calming environment
Looking at art can also distract patients from pain and can benefit recovery. Most beneficial are paintings of animals, water, mountains, etc.
Subsequently, stressful and unfriendly work environments could be avoided in the future.
In relation to how to integrate Vastu on a low budget, the expert pointed out clearly that this is uncomplicated. Similar to the first interview, I was told that the importance of this science is direction, as well as the usage of plants, artworks, praying areas, and more can be a simple way of easily integrating Vastu into your home. The exact mentioned rules can equally count for hospitals too. Even just removing items or moving them within a room would not cost anything.
The key elements according to this expert were the following:
Sleeping directions
The placement of the main entrance, bathrooms, kitchen, and the tranquility zone
Color choice
In terms of how Vastu affects physical and mental well-being, I was referred to another helpful link, describing that Vastu can help to avoid certain diseases and negative energies. A healthy home will often lead to overall health. Especially the modern world we live in makes it more difficult not to be intruded by gadgets which in many cases leads to stress, and an unbalanced lifestyle, as we overuse those items, such as phones or TVs.
In relation to that, I came across an interesting quote:
Mahatma Gandhi famously said: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
If Vastu is implemented properly within the house it can lead to a happy, healthy, successful, and harmonious life, which will affect the body and mind. That does not mean it will heal every illness but can help people regenerate faster and support people’s health. An environment that is designed badly can have a crucial effect on a patient’s health. If people live in a healthy environment though, this can automatically mean better productivity.
With Vastu, it is possible to live a more healthy life. This is also supported by a study which proved, that a badly organized home can be as bad for your health as smoking.
Mirrors in bedrooms that reflect people sleeping are just another example of what to avoid, as it reduces energy within the space and can make people feel bad in the morning. In addition, it should be avoided to have a packed center within your house, as this intrudes its balance. Leaving a space open in the middle is therefore recommended.
Being close to the wifi, telephone cells, microwaves or power generators can also influence vastu health negatively.
Having the right artwork at home or in an environment can help though to reduce stress and enhance people’s moods. Art with bright colors and supportive messages can help do that for instance.
The five key elements in Vastu are the positioning of fire, water, earth, wind, and space.
If for example an area in the house is affected by geopathic stress, such as underground caves or water lines, it can lead to headaches, depression, anxiety, insomnia, or mood swings, only to mention a few examples.
Yet, it cannot be forgotten that Vastu does not replace medicine as we know it, but only enhances people’s health.
Finally, I uncovered during the interview that there is no time limit for people to adapt to Vastu, but when it is done right and energy is regulated properly, patients can feel a positive change within 2-3 days.
