Close your eyes and picture this:
A symphony of rustling leaves and silent creaking bamboo stalks surrounds you. A gentle breeze caresses your face as you take a deep breath which smells of damp forest and moss. The rays of the morning sun filter brightly through the softly swaying stalks, casting ever-changing shadows on the lush undergrowth. Coolness is deep within the bamboo grove.
Calmness, tranquility, zen-ness, serenity and peacefulness – these are the feelings associated with being in a bamboo grove, which is the therapeutic element I want to bring to the hospital.
I chose to depict the bamboo forest in a relatively abstract manner because:
1. I believe that the window art should set an immersive mood
– There are already enough distractions along the J-Walk
– Users are just buzzing through; seldom will they take the time to admire the art pieces
2. I thought that I could play with light
– Production of varying shades of green shadows which will mimic a forest undergrowth
As such, I came up with a few drafts using the traditional collaging method. And after some digital modifications, I shortlisted four of the designs but couldn’t decide on which to choose.
So I sent them for test-prints to study the effect of light on each of them. I first printed on tracing paper (substitute for translucent decal) because I wanted to block out, as much as possible, the shadows of the rows of bars outside the windows. However, I found that it restricts too much light.
I then tried it out on transparency. After which, I realized that there weren’t significant differences among the casted shadows and that is when I decided on submitting the last piece because unlike the others, it gives the most sense of depth.
Bamboo is flexible – bending with the wind but never breaking, capable of adapting to any circumstance. It suggests resilience, that we have the ability to bounce back even from the most difficult times.
As such, I feel that the spirit of a bamboo is a very apt for the hospital setting.
References
Description
Japanese Court Poetry by Robert H. Brower and Earl Roy Miner, Page 366
