HOT•BED presents: WAITING ROOM/Immersive Art for Wellbeing

HOT•BED is pleased to present WAITING ROOM, a six person show featuring works by Aidan Fowler, Alyson Denny, Lyn Godley, Jessica Judith Beckwith, Philip Hart, Yael Erel, and the winners of the 2022 Immersive Arts for Health Student Design Competition (IAHSDC).

Research shows that art can have a positive impact on healthcare environments. Most existing research in this field focuses on painting, prints, and sculpture. More recent studies examine the use of virtual reality in pain management and anxiety reduction. One of the methods in this process is the use of immersive experiences. Artists and interactive designers have long used light as a medium to create dynamic sensory experiences. Solid state lighting, coding, and digital projection mapping have amplified the possibilities of this field. In healthcare environments where patients are often confined for extended periods of time, this type of immersive experience is not only potentially beneficial as a stress reducer, but may offer patients a level of agency over their environment.

Works included in this show use light, shadow, and movement to create immersive experiences that mesmerize, enchant, and captivate. Each installation is a “waiting room” for the audience to spend time becoming immersed in experiences of calm, inspiration, and transformation. WAITING ROOM also features the winning entries of the 2022 IAHSDC organized by the Jefferson Center of Immersive Arts for Health, a design, research, and academic initiative dedicated to studying the impact of dynamic and interactive art on healing. As part of ongoing research, viewers will be able to take part in a survey to collect feedback on their individual experiences of the installations.

WAITING ROOM will be on view September 17 – November 19, 2022, with an opening reception September 17th from 6-9 PM, and a closing reception November 19th from 6-9 PM. To RSVP, please visit https://www.hotbedphilly.com/appointments.

A panel hosted on October 15, 2022 by HOT•BED as part of DesignPhiladelphia will feature artists and medical professionals in conversation about the process of creating these works and their effects.