The HEALING NATURE project demonstrates the power of displaying nature/soothing elements of the environment, through various media in hospital spaces, to support the mental, physical and spiritual health of the individual and the hospital community. Most of the artwork in hospitals is traditional murals, paintings and sculptures, while there is a lack of contemporary interactive artwork and animation in children’s waiting rooms of hospitals. Therefore, the main goal of the project is to create an interactive experience using augmented reality (AR) with animated content, to ensure a pleasant and calming hospital environment that also provides a soothing and distracting experience for children.
The project’s goals and objectives focus on innovation and social inclusion issues through the use of a screen-free format (SCREENless), which is efficient, sustainable and low-cost, while at the same time incorporating a layered interactive experience that combines murals with animated digital elements in an augmented reality format. The aim is to design innovative and engaging moving image interventions that encourage children to respond to space and interact with each other, rather than being passive observers.
The project promotes the traditional "sensory" visual quality of hand-made techniques, enriching it with modern immersive technologies that combine digital animation with elements of the real world. The project aims to strengthen social inclusion through a public hospital system, accessible to all, as well as through workshops on nature, art, animation and technology for hospital communities, and in particular for marginalized children, whose contributions and creative results will become part of the artworks.
It also includes a research component in the form of a questionnaire for patients/viewers to assess the impact of the artworks. The implementation of the project will be summarized in a digital manual, which will be distributed upon completion in all partner countries.
The project continues the two pilot projects implemented so far, authored by Dr. Art. Melinda Šefčić and Dr. Phil. Lee Vidaković, which were realized in the premises of KBC Zagreb in 2021 ("Digital Fauna") and 2023 ("Animated Forest World in the Hospital Space").
The project budget is EUR 248,986.62, of which EUR 199,189.30 is financed by the EU.
The project includes:
HDLU is the largest arts organization with an uninterrupted 153-year tradition of activity, which brings together around 2,000 visual media artists from all over Croatia. HDLU is headquartered at the House of Croatian Artists / Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb, while the association also manages an additional gallery space, Karas, and around 10 artist studios. HDLU annually organizes around 40 exhibition projects in Croatia and abroad, around 30 artist residencies abroad, educational programs for artists to work on the market, awards annual professional awards, implements EU projects that improve the formal art education system and integrate people with fewer opportunities into society through work with artists, conducts public competitions for art solutions in public spaces, etc. The work of HDLU is financially supported by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Zagreb, the Office for NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb, the European Commission, the National Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, corporate sponsors, private donors, and members of the association. HDLU annually runs 2-3 EU projects; He was the coordinator of the ESF project "Art for people over 54" and the K2 Erasmus+ projects: "Arts of Freedom" and "Art2Business", and he was and remains a partner in various Erasmus+ and Creative Europe projects.
New Bulgarian University is a modern university of great national importance that actively participates in international university networks. Founded in September 1991 as a response to the need for a new model of liberal education, the university initiated significant reforms in Bulgarian higher education by introducing undergraduate and graduate studies, admission based on a general knowledge test, interdisciplinary and individual undergraduate programs, smaller programs, a credit system, distance and online education, an innovative university environment, and opportunities for lifelong learning. NBU's academic profile emphasizes social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, new technologies, and the arts. The university offers alternative programs and practice-oriented education, encouraging free choice of students and attracting prominent experts as lecturers. The university offers students an environment of civic engagement and public awareness, thus creating students with high academic competence and practical skills, enterprising, and socially responsible. Through international programs, NBU creates favorable conditions for student mobility. As part of an international university network, NBU is always open to a dialogue between academic traditions and modernity, aiming to create new contributions and practices. The motto of NBU is Ne varietatem timeamus (“Let us not be afraid of diversity”). As the largest private university in Bulgaria, NBU strives to put its academic potential at the service of society and to respond to social and economic changes with its projects. Over the past 15 years, the university has continuously implemented socially oriented projects and has received a number of awards for its contribution to the systematic resolution of current social problems.
Universidade Lusófona (UL) is a comprehensive university with educational and research activities in various scientific fields, from health sciences, engineering, social sciences to business and management. In parallel, UL is the leading provider of education in the field of film and media in Portugal, with campuses in the two capitals of the country: Lisbon and Porto. The university has a very strong international profile that directly stems from its mission focused on the development of Portuguese-speaking countries, with a high international profile of its educational, research and innovation activities. The Department of Film and Media Arts and the research unit CICANT – the Centre for Research in Communication and Media Arts – are very active in the Iberian Peninsula region and Europe, currently promoting several projects and deepening the relationship between education, research and innovation in Europe. The university is a member of the NEB (New European Bauhaus), an active participant in numerous E+, Horizon and EIT initiatives and coordinator of FilmEU – the University Alliance for Media Arts. Arts and media are a key aspect of the university's activities, and Lusófona brings not only extensive experience and offerings in these domains, but also its specific focus on Portuguese-speaking countries, especially in Africa and South America. UL also has a long history of participating in major educational, research and innovation projects at an international level. In recent years, UL has participated in numerous projects where its expertise, for example in film and media arts, has played a key role in promoting democracy through the development of training methodologies and digital skills to empower citizens and strengthen different forms of civic participation, such as the projects Dici-Educa; YouNDigital; Youth for youth; FemGlocal; Read Twice; EEAD; Fem-able; Women and Media; E-Skills; Debaqui; Rethink.
