Scher Function & Focus Peter Scher

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INTERFERENZE Arte & OspedaleConference on Interactions of Art and Hospital

A. Meyer Paediatric Hospital, Florence, Italy28th November 2009

THE ARTS – FUNCTION AND FOCUS

Peter Scher B.A.(Arch.) R.I.B.A.Architect-Research-Consultancy, London, England

andVisiting Research Fellow, Arts for Health, Faculty of Art and Design,

The Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, England

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FUNCTION OF ART 1

Cave painting at Los Caballos, SpainMesolithic – 8500-4000BC

USA -1855

Palaeolithic flute,Hohle Fels,Germany – 30,000 BC

India -1835

New York Times - 2008

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FUNCTION OF ART 2

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FUNCTION OF ART 3

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ABSENCE OF ART

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Arts for Health

www.mmu.ac.uk/artsforhealth

ProjectsResearch

Conferences

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Art for Children - 1

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Art for Children - 2

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THE ARTS IN HEALTH CARE

Arts for Health

www.mmu.ac.uk/artsforhealth

1999The first independent evaluation of a major arts project

(Exeter Health Care Arts)

for a health care setting

(Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, England)

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THE EXETER EVALUATION

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Art in the health care setting offers patients two types of experience to enjoy –

Distraction – from anxiety and fear about the nature of the illness and about the outcome of treatment and the consequences of each episode,

Stimulation – by listening to music and the spoken word and by seeing visual art that engages the curiosity and interest.

Distraction and Stimulation

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All the art interventions in the hospital should –

1 be enjoyed by the users of the hospital,

2 respect, sensitively, the particular setting,

its location and culture,

3 be appropriate to the type of spaceand support the specific activities ofall the users. 

Three Principles

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Health care has three elements -

curing, the interventions of doctors, nursesand allied health professionals,

healing, which the patient’s body itself does, wounds heal, fractured bones mend,

poisons are eliminated

and

caring, which everyone in contact with thepatient does.

Curing, Healing and Caring

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SPACES FOR HEALTH CARE

1 for curing, diagnosis, treatment, therapy

2 for patients during healing

3 for patients receiving care

4 for staff at work

5 for supporting and service functions

and

6 the hospital’s outdoor spaces

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Spaces for diagnosis, treatment and therapy

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Spaces for patients during healing

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Spaces for patients receiving care

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Spaces for staff at work

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Spaces for supporting and service functions

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Visual Art in supporting function - Signage

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Hospital’s Outdoor Spaces -1

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Hospital’s Outdoor Spaces - 2

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VISUAL ART in HEALTH CARE SETTINGS

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PERFORMING ARTS in HEALTH CARE SETTINGS

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It is not the purpose of arts in health care to challenge users with avant garde creations, or to educate users about the arts.

As patients we go to hospital because we are unwell. 

Where we know that an art work -1 is not enjoyed, 2 does not respect its setting, 3 is not appropriate for the space and its

users,- then it should be changed and not remain.

Inappropriate Art

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All the art interventions in the hospital should –

1 be enjoyed by the users of the hospital,

2 respect, sensitively, the particular setting,

its location and culture,

3 be appropriate to the type of spaceand support the specific activities ofall the users. 

Three Principles

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THE PATIENT IS THE FOCUS