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The Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health

Research

Waiting Room Exhibition

lmmersive Art for Wellbeing 2022

An exhibition of dynamic light, shadow, and movement as immersive experiences designed to calm, inspire, and offer a respite. Sponsored by the Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health (JCIAH), the exhibit focused on the viewer experience of eleven immersive installations using dynamic lighting in a gallery setting to investigate the potential impact of this work on viewers’ sense of well-being.

Qualitative data were collected using electronic questionnaires associated with 11 different dynamic light art installations. Open-ended questions explored how participants perceived and valued the presence of, and engagement with, dynamic light art installations and captured their views on the potential benefits of exposure.

The eleven light installations were set up as waiting areas, and the audience was invited to sit with each installation and provide feedback through surveys linked to QR codes for each piece. Qualitative data were collected using electronic questionnaires associated with the eleven installations. Open-ended questions explored how participants perceived and valued the presence of and engagement with dynamic light art installations and captured their views on the potential benefits of exposure.

Overwhelmingly, participants who sat with the immersive artwork for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours described the experience as “calm,” “peaceful,” and “introspective.”

Exhibiting Artists

Aiden Fowler

Aim as an artist is to push the viewer into the feeling of being present. 

Alyson Denny

Uses light to make abstract still photographs and moving images. 

Jessica Beckwith

Explores how perception and thought shape reality – creating spaces of connection.

Lyn Godley

Provokes questions on how light might be used to affect the user.

Phil Hart

An exploration of pattern, form, order, and balance. 

Yael Erel

Uses light to construct dynamic, otherworldly environments.

Would you like to see an installation like this in your doctor’s waiting room? If yes, why? If no, why not?

  • “Yes, since it would be a good form of distraction while waiting for an anxiety-ridden appointment.”
  • “Yes, as someone with anxiety, especially related to doctors and health, this would be very helpful to use as a tool to calm patients down.”
  • “Yes, it would preoccupy my mind without things like an obnoxious television screen or other patients’ conversations.”
  • “Oh yes. It's so much better than out-of-date magazines, signs, and stupid daytime TV. It would help to calm me down and prepare for my appointment. Gather my thoughts. Take a deep breath.”
  • “Yes- it’s calming; it’s something to focus your attention on; something to take you outside of whatever else is going on and stop and just imagine something completely different.”

This study allowed us to understand better how dynamic light art may ameliorate stress and anxiety in spaces where users are confined for periods. It also identified key areas for future research, such as particular aspects of the installations or sub-populations that may particularly benefit from this type of intervention.

A peer-reviewed paper was published on the results of this study: Godley, L & Frasso, R & Igoe, T & Erel, Y & LeNoir, J. (2024). The Use of Immersive Light-Based Art for Well-Being. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 1320. 012008. 10.1088/1755-1315/1320/1/012008.

Waiting Room - Immersive Art for Wellbeing Panel Discussion at Hotbed Gallery October 2022 | Click image for video
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