We noticed that in some research, natural elements are helpful for patients’ mental health. The article “Preferences for photographic art among hospitalized patients with cancer” shows, “The photographs they preferred most often were lake sunset (76%), rocky river (66%), and autumn waterfall (66%). ” Another paper, “Physiological Benefits of Viewing Nature: A Systematic Review of Indoor Experiments” shows that used real nature stimuli reported that visual contact with flowers, green plants, and wooden materials had positive effects on cerebral and autonomic nervous activities compared with the control.
They all point out one thing – visual images of natural elements effectively bring a good mood and reaction to patients. Both of us were interested in introducing natural elements into the space. Besides, to encourage patients to observe the lighting fixture, we’d like to add some motions to draw their attention as a distraction strategy in the waiting room. Thus we started to think about combining natural elements and kinetic movements.