Worlds first art therapy pod
I believe that whatever the brief, Biophilic design is the answer. Humans are co-evolved with the natural world, and so building our spaces, objects and interactions in harmony with this knowledge produces work that truly has the power to make humans feel better, and by better I mean less stressed, more joyful and more creative.
It was this last one, creativity, that was the focus for the design of the worlds first Art Therapy Pod, masterminded by the brilliant Ebony Easiley, founder of Art4orms, Tulsa. The Art4orms Foundation exists to build and sustain generational access to art education for public school students. It utilizes art education to expand career pathways and dismantle historical disadvantages placed on communities of colour. I was full of joy to be able to bring my education and experience in Biophilic design to this space and mission.
Ebony approached me with a beautiful brief, to create a dedicated Art Therapy space for the students to enter into a different world, a world that nurtured their creative impulses and provided relief from stresses and distractions. We enjoyed discussing the power of agency in the forest. In the forest, and other natural spaces, children are able to change the world around them, to kick up leaves, construct forts, draw in the dirt. This is the absolute opposite of most educational spaces, where the rules are more often, don’t touch, keep in line, don’t change anything. We wanted to create a space where the children could experience more control, to choose what they watched, or heard, or smelt.
The resulting set of pods are designed to be customisable. Tactile spray bottles are used to allow for olfactory exposure. Mix and match video and sound channels can be easily controlled via a simple iPad interface. The lights are wireless glowing spheres, which can be moved around and even thrown, there are many decentralised controllers to allow the children to choose the colour and brightness. There are even felt pebbles on the floor, which the children are encouraged to pick up and play with in whatever way they want to. Different sizes of pods are available, allowing the children to choose whether they want to be alone or in a group. The project is an ongoing exploration, with new content for the video projectors generated through co-creation sessions set to be installed soon.
The form uses classic Biophilic design principles, inspired by the micro detail of leaves, and the macro feeling of being held and protected by a circle of trees. The centre table with inbuilt interactive lighting provides a focal point to gather round, reminiscent of the firepit on a camping trip. The design also employs one of my favourite Biophilic design tools, Soft Fascination, the intentional creation of mystery and interest through partially obscured fields of view, the patterns cut into the sides of the pods allow the children to peek out, to observe the world whilst still feeling protected and private.
Was the project successful? Well, on the opening night the main problem we had was having to constantly gently remove children from the pod to make room for visitors, they simply did not want to leave. Adults might flatter and dissemble, you can never be quite sure whether they mean what they say, but the actions of the children on that opening night was one of the greatest compliments I have ever received.
I look forward to seeing and learning more as Ebony and her team explore and test the space, bringing in professional Art Therapists to develop programs and expanding the work they do, and I am so excited to continue to bring the power of Biophilia to this critical educational space.
