Year: 2023
Role: Creative Direction & Production
Client: Studio Elsewhere for Michigan Medicine
Media: Large Scale Projection, Touch Designer, Ableton.
Team: Mirelle Phillips (Creative Direction), Torin Blankensmith (Real-time Graphics Engineer), Tim Fain (Music), Jiyoon Moon (Creative Technologist), Isaac Sante (Creative Technologist), Erik Anderson (UI Design)
Flourish is research based project that aims to explore the relationship between different types of motion and their potential benefits for cognitive functioning. It is an interactive large-scale projected environment designed to create a sensory sanctuary within the high-stress environment of the ICU floor. The project draws on Attention Restoration Theory and extensive research supporting the positive effects of physical activity on cognitive functions such as attention, concentration, creativity, and job performance.The target audience for Flourish is the nursing staff working in the ICU, who experience high levels of stress, burnout, and cognitive fatigue. The project serves as an intervention to address these issues throughout the day, offering relief from stress, cognitive exhaustion, and physical fatigue. By providing engaging and immersive experiences, Flourish aims to enhance the well-being and cognitive performance of the nursing staff.Flourish consists of five distinct experiences, each designed to target specific cognitive functions and promote a particular state of mind. The experiences utilize motion tracking technology to create an interactive and personalized environment for the users.
Color Chorus Experience
Cosmic Waves Experience
Color Chorus focuses on elevating the mood of the participants. Through visually captivating feedback and swirling motion, it aims to create an eye-catching aesthetic that promotes a positive emotional state.
Cosmic Waves offers a calming experience by utilizing gentle swaying and expansive motions. It provides a break from directed attention, allowing for restoration of attentional resources and cognitive renewal. This passive engagement with non-demanding stimuli allows the brain to recuperate from sustained cognitive demands, leading to better cognitive performance when individuals return to more demanding tasks.
Starlight Experience
Cosmic Waves Experience
Starlight targets physical exhaustion and stiffness in the upper body. The experience encourages fast-paced and exuberant movements, providing a full-body reset for the nursing staff who often experience fatigue from being on their feet all day.
Ocean Flow experience encourages Tai Chi-like movements, incorporating slow and gentle motions, deep breathing, and mindfulness. This experience aims to improve attention, reduce anxiety, and enhance processing speed.
Touch Screen Menu
Projected Menu
To create an immersive environment, a small room on the ICU floor has been transformed with dark tones, deviating from the sterile hospital setting. Initial results from a pilot study showed that after just 10 minutes of immersion, an overwhelming majority of the nursing staff (97%) reported improved mood and alertness.Flourish aims to provide a meaningful and practical intervention for the nursing staff, helping to address stress, cognitive fatigue, and physical exhaustion. By incorporating various motion-based experiences, the project strives to enhance cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and overall job performance in the ICU setting.
