Great to take part in this event with critical care doctor, Edel Mcauley. We presented our work to a multi-disciplinary audience of over 400
Watching the colours of daylight – waking to some amazing mornings these February/March days. Clear skies and warm hues slowly changing to a blue-white light. In HDU at James Cook University Hospital, I am recreating this experience for a long-term patient who does not get to see the sky from her room. The shift in colour is working really well and the patient is enjoying the experience of sunset, too, each evening.
Following success of the on-going light and projection installations in critical care, this week I met with natural sound recordist, Geoff Sample and Bennett Hogg from the Department of Music at Newcastle University. We met with Dr Edel Mcauley and experimented with natural sounds in the large atrium of the south entrance of the hospital.
This work builds upon a collaboration last year with sound recordist, Mike Challis, with our aim of bringing sounds from the natural world in to the hospital environment. We worked beneath my dichroic glass and light installation in the large atrium area and tried a range of sounds including piano music and natural sounds, including the sea and a running stream.
The site visit was successful in locating positions for speakers to create subtle sound experiences and there was a lot of interest from visitors and staff passing through the atrium. It was amazing to hear, for the first time, birds singing in the hospital! We will be refining our ideas and aim to create a sound installation in the atrium for a two week period in March 2019.
A light installation has been installed in critical care which creates an ambient light effect. It starts the day with a sunrise and changes throughout the day, ending in the warm light of sunset. This has received very positive responses from patients and staff. The installation will be extended next week so that others in the unit can benefit from this dynamic light effect. I also intalled a projector with a library of uploaded imagery and videos offering new views and a link to the outside world. Over the next months I will extend the installlations and explore their beneficial effects, seeking feedback from staff, patients and visitors.
This week, Dr Paul Chazot and I presented the project at the North of England Critical Care Network’s Annual Conference. We met consultants, doctors, nurses and others on the front line of critical care. Our ideas were very well received – the need for light, colour and beauty – a humanising influence on this stark clinical environment. I am working with a long stay patient in ICU and will be installing light and projected imagery very soon…
