Elektrart – Art and Health

Creator: Elektrart|Art form: Audiovisual|Knowledge valorisation : Co-creation, Outreach|Place: Basque Country,Spain|Location : Offline|Target group: Healthcare professionals and patients, People with disabilities|Domains: Health|Duration : Long-term project

Generation of well-being in hospitals through artistic and audiovisual installations.

Challenge: How to improve the quality of life of hospital patients, turning impersonal and cold spaces into comfortable places

A collective of multidisciplinary artists and technologists creating a fusion between art and technology are working in the line of research, related to the field of health. They are researching new forms of artistic creation through new media, digital, virtual, etc. The aim is to improve the quality of life of people in hospitals.

The project is mainly aimed at patients with certain disabilities or people who have to stay in hospital for a certain period of time. Hospitals are cold places where nobody likes to be, and precisely with these digital art installations and emotional art projects, and through new media such as virtual reality, they aim to make these stays much more bearable. In a way, it is a project that has a direct impact on patients, but they also want to direct it towards reducing stress among workers.
There is currently a pilot project together with Biocruces Bizkaia and the Gorliz Hospital, that is working on the design and implementation of different artistic experiences, whether immersive, contemplative or interactive.

Resources needed

Audiovisual, artistic intervention, design, as well as Digital Art, Immersive Art and soundscapes

Purpose of artistic intervention

Through the humanization of the different spaces of the hospital the intervention aim to increase the favourable results of the emotional recovery process of patients, as well as improving the welfare of health professionals.

Art humanizes people and helps to communicate in a personal language, and allows people to isolate themselves positively from reality, generating mental rest that reduces stress and generates a feeling of happiness and relaxation.

Positive impacts

The positive impact lies in improving the quality of life of patients staying in hospitals. The project has a social objective, as it aims to intervene positively in citizenship through art, culture and technology. Currently, they are working with two local hospitals.

Replication

Since hospitals everywhere in the world are impersonal spaces that often lack warmth, the project can be replicated in other contexts. It can be easily replicated in other countries that are concerned about healthcare and community wellbeing.