A wallpaper background and images created using old photos, posters and postcards, transforming bare rooms into a more therapeutic environment.
ARTWORK TO DISTRACT AND ENGAGE WHILST WAITING
The Emergency Department team at Southmead Hospital wanted a way to distract patients and their families waiting, sometimes for several hours, in cubicles. Could something be done to liven up the stark walls?
Using paintings and prints generously donated by local artists, we transformed the cubicle spaces. The artwork gives people something else to occupy their minds, and something to talk about – a welcome distraction. The initial trial in five cubicles worked so well in calming patients and engaging their families and carers that the matron commissioned panels to be designed for the remaining 10 cubicles.
The artwork is produced as a single floor-to-ceiling washable vinyl to avoid any problems with infection control. They look like framed pictures on the wall, but are actually trompe-l'œil, creating the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.
The Impact
The designs transform a bare and sometimes scary ED cubicle into a more therapeutic environment that stimulates conversation, distracts and engages.
who we worked with
Ruth Sidgwick, Fresh Arts
Funded by
Southmead Hospital Charity
