H.art, a little fresh art
that warms the heart of hospitals
THE PRINCIPLE
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Soothes and calms patients
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Inspires the medical staff
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Brings color and beauty into a frequently depressing examining room atmosphere
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Makes art part of the therapy
BEFORE
AFTER
H.art, a little fresh art
HOW WE WORK
We simply work to transform waiting rooms and examining rooms by incorporating art so that both the staff and the patients feel better.
By giving emerging artists the possibility of putting their research and their techniques to use for a good cause.
The most important element is that we take care of everything:
Definition of projects, selection of artists, financing, coordination, fabrication, installation, maintenance...
Everything the medical team has no time to do.The work is conceived in conjunction with the staff: they are
the ones who will be in the space daily.
We take the technical, human, and financial constraints into account as well as the emotional charge linked to these services.
Custom-made art for small budgets.
H.art, a little fresh art
THE FIRST PROJECT: I Think I Can
The result of meeting the professor Guy Sebag, the Pediatric Radiology unit head at the Robert Debré hospital in 2013.
The prinical idea is that “everything is possible” It’s also the heart of the H.art project.
In the room dedicated to the mini MRI where children can learn about and
play with the machine to get used to it before going through the real one,
Aviva Brooks hung «I think I can» a large plafyul painting and covered another
wall with a whiteboard surface giving kids the power to write their own
messages or draw all over the wall.
“I think I can” (2007) inspired by The Little Engine That Could.
To think of hard things and say, “I can’t” is sure to mean “Nothing done.”
To refuse to be daunted and insist on saying, “I think I can,” is to make sure of being able to say triumphantly by and by,
“I thought I could, I thought I could.”
H.art, a little fresh art
SEQUOIA FOREST and CEILING GAME
Uro-digestive Radiology exam room - Pediatric Radiiology Unit, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris
After the mini MRI, Aviva set her sights on the Uro-digestive Radiology exam room, a particularly stressful time for the little patients. This room needed a different ambiance: the patients range in age from 2 to 18 years old, so the environment couldn’t be too childish. We decided to transform the room into a sun-soaked and peaceful sequoia forest. A very large scale photo (5x3 meters) printed on adhesive vinyl certified M1 fire safe. In order to distract the younger children during the exam which could last up to 40 minutes, a hide and seek game of objects hidden in the sky and clouds was installed on the ceiling above their head.
H.art, a little fresh art
VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD
X-ray room - Pediatric Radiology Unit, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris
For the third room, where the children don’t stay long and the x-ray is not painful, we worked with a group of graphic design students (ECV, Paris). Using the Voyage around the world theme, they designed a wall mural, printed on adhesive vinyl and installed in June 2015.
BEFORE
AFTER
H.art, a little fresh art
TROMPE-L'OEIL
Mammography changing rooms- Gynecology Unit,
University Hospital Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris
AFTER
Dressing the changing rooms in trompe l’oeil.
A patient can wait up to 45 minutes in this one square meter space. Using images that bring in sunlight and enlarge the perspective, women feel more comfortable and peaceful during their wait.
BEFORE
H.art, a little fresh art
A DAY AT THE PARK
Uro-digestive Radiology exam room Pediatric Radiology Unit,
University Hospital Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris
The newly renovated Pediatric Uro-digestive Radiology exam room sported immense bare white walls. It was transformed with a vintage merry-go-round and hundreds of brightly colored balloons in the sky. Balloons were also placed above the examining table on the ceiling to distract children during the exam. For example: assistants can ask them how many blue or red balloons they see.
A fun vintage merry-go-round with hundreds of brightly colored balloons
The depressing bare wall
A fun vintage merry-go-round with hundreds of brightly colored balloons
H.art, a little fresh art
A DAY AT THE BEACH
Doctor's Interpretation room Adult Radiology Unit,
University Hospital Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris
The newly renovated Doctor's Interpretation Room in the Adult Radiology Unit is a windowless space. Aviva imported warm sun, blue sky and the Atlantic ocean from the Vendée region of France.
Doctors working in a windowless room for hours can be depressing. Large photos of an idyllic beach brightens the atmosphere.
Doctors working in a windowless room for hours can be depressing. Large photos of an idyllic beach brightens the atmosphere.
INSTITUT CURIE
Adult & pediatric radiology unit MRI Waiting room
Dr. Hervé Brisse
H.art, a little fresh art
Biophilia is the innate connection between humans and nature. Until recently, biophilic design consisted of using stock photos of flowers or a classic nature landscape, but studies have shown that this is not enough, the images must also distract and intrigue the spectator. Here, an impression of liquid over a forest scene; the spectator wonders: is it water or a forest ?
INSTITUT CURIE
Adult & pediatric radiology unit Biopsy room
Dr. Hervé Brisse
H.art, a little fresh art
In the biopsy room, taking “biopsies” of elements found in a relaxing beach scene photo (sand, a drop of sea water, and canvas umbrella)helps patients understand more about the procedure they are undergoing. On the adjacent wall photo, a “biopsy” of wood. Technical explanations about the procedure and the enlarged “biopsies” on the wall are given to the patient to read, distracting and occupying them during the exam.
INSTITUT CURIE
Adult & pediatric radiology unit Echography exam room
Dr. Hervé Brisse
H.art, a little fresh art
In the echography exam room, koi fish superimposed on a scintillating sea recall the marine origins of the echograph. The staff uses the ship portholes to help the patients get into the desired position for the exam.
HÔPITAL BICETRE
Pediatric radiology unit Waiting Room
Dr. Catherine Adamsbaum
H.art, a little fresh art
The recently renovated Pediatric Radiology Department sports 800 metres of white empty walls. The challenge was to find a theme that could appeal to very young infants up to adolescents. The different areas each had a theme tied together by the same palette of pop colors. The centerpiece disguised the reception desk as a 70's VW camping van. In the main area, a splash of color patterns and pop follow a single line as it curls and bends around the space with an added touch of humour in each panel using familiar icons in improbable situations. Another long corridor housed a game of 5 rectangles: Using only 5 white rectangles as a base, 8 different scenes were created. In a tucked away corner of the waiting room a joyous air traffic jam fills the space with every conceivable object that can be found in the sky; children can try to count how many kites there are or try to find the one and only Superman.
HÔPITAL BICETRE
Pediatric radiology unit 4 Echography Exam Rooms
Dr. Catherine Adamsbaum
H.art, a little fresh art
ECHO 1
This echography exam room theme was inspired by the Enchanted Flute opera chosen by Dr. Danielle Pariente. A very large collage mixing the different elements from the opera and lit with special LED lights so as to not disturb the echography procedure.
ECHO 2
This echography exam room theme was inspired by a larger-than-life sized "Jeu d'oie" game. Here the theme is the sea and there are lots of things to look at which helps the staff when using hypnosis to calm the patients.
ECHO 3
This echography exam room sports a photo of a grafitti wall by @Faki. Pediatrics covers babies to teen-agers and this mural appeals to all ages.
ECHO 4
With just a few airplane windows we've transformed this echography exam room into an airplane with some one very famous flying by...
HÔPITAL BICETRE
Hallway joining the Pediatric radiology unit and the Adult radiology unit
H.art, a little fresh art
A high traffic hallway joining the Adult and Pediatric radiology units (among others) was transformed into a mini-gallery by making enlargements of photographer André Adamsbaum's photos to cover all the doors.
HÔPITAL BICETRE
Pediatric Electroencephalography (EEG) exam room
Neuro Radiology Service
Madame Catherine REGEN, Cadre de Pole
H.art, a little fresh art
This exam room was renovated to make it sound-proof so the children could fall asleep easier. The room divider keeps distracting parents apart but still in the room. A huge thank-you to Susan Perez, the artist who created these soothing and joyful images for this space and a big Thank-you as well to the foundation Air France for the funding.
HÔPITAL SALPETRIERE
NeuroOncology Service
Chef de Pole Dr Jean-Yves Delattre, Chef de Service Dr Khe Hoang-Xuan
Cadre de Santé Rachel Verbrugghe
H.art, a little fresh art
The neuro-oncology service at the hospital Salpetriereis is made up of a cavernous entryway and 2 extremely long corridors. The entryway was transformed into a colorful bamboo garden and each wing of the service was transformed into a voyage; either by train or by plane. The corridor was filled with airplane windows, but instead of seeing the typical airborne images, we decided to have fun and put improbable images that you would never normally see from an airplane throughout the long corridor. At the end of the hall, the plane actually lands as seen from the cockpit of the airplane.
INSTITUT CURIE
Supportive and Palliative Care Mobile Unit
Chef de Service Alexis BURNOD
H.art, a little fresh art
Cancer patients receiving supportive and palliative care at home come to the hospital once a month to spend a half-day meeting with their team of doctors, getting treatments, doing tests...all this in a small dreary windowless room. We decided to completely transport the patient into one of three different environments: a ski chalet, a country garden, or a seaside villa:
We then worked to bring some distraction and nature into the waiting room and hallway :
HÔPITAL DEBRE
Pediatric Radiology Service
Chef de Service Pr. Marianne
H.art, a little fresh art
The pediatric MRI/radiology service at the the hospital Debré was recently renovated and thanks to a generous gift by Cristina Mouroutis in memory of Guy Sebag, we were able to bring a humorous space theme to the rooms in the MRI service as well as bring the greek island of Skyros to brighten the interpretation room for the doctors and staff.
H.art, a little fresh art
Aviva Brooks
An American artist living in Paris for over 25 years, Aviva donated the original oil painting from the "I Think I can" series to the Pediatric Radiology Unit of the Robert Debré Hospital in 2013. It was the Pr. Guy Sebag, the department head, who gave her the idea behind H.art. Her next step is to create a non-profit organization in order to raise funds to pursue more ambitious transformation projects such as interactive digital walls and creating activity centers for waiting rooms.
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