LEAVING LEAVES -- BETWEEN SEASONS: Therapeutic Landscape Painting and Participatory Art

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Emily Branch (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: This thesis is an exhibition of therapeutic art. The therapeutic qualities of the work are based on scientific studies in healthcare design and psychology, and evolutionary psychology. Attributes that have been demonstrated to reduce physical and emotional pain include: 1) references to flourishing, favorable natural environments, 2) regionally familiar references, 3) stylization or abstraction, and 4) a participatory opportunity to share experiences. The thesis exhibition includes a sequence of large landscape paintings (Between Seasons) and a participatory installation (Leaving Leaves), in a sitting area of a local healthcare facility (the East Carolina Heart Institute). The work facilitates the sharing of experiences of loss, and features visual representations of seasonal change. This thesis document discusses how elements from proven pain-reducing artworks and theories are incorporated into my work.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2016

Keywords

testimony, seasons, painting thesis, hospital art

Subjects

Evolutionary psychology; Landscape painting; Art therapy; Interactive art

Email this document to