soothing the space

In spring 2024, Frome Medical Practice in Somerset installed a large digital screen in its reception area to display Rob Irving’s award-winning video pieces. This artwork is aligned with a branch of art theory that shifts away from the traditional sense of making, such as painting and sculpture, to creating a space for interactive, calming engagement. Natural sounds complement the spare quality of the images—the rustling of windblown barley, lapping water, humming bees, birdsong, hints of grasshoppers, and delicate ‘atmospherics’ generated by plants. The open-plan layout, with generous wall space, allows sound to travel freely throughout the public areas—a natural auditory backdrop, its quiet chords drifting along corridors across two floors, creating a subtle art experience …a pause to wonder.

The effect is to de-medicalise the space. The most frequently heard words in feedback from patients and staff were ‘calmness’, ’relaxing’, and ‘uplifting’. This success prompted the commissioning of a formal survey, converting anecdotes into data, a collaborative effort between the artist and Matisse Lack, a Health Psychology data analyst. A detailed evaluation is available at the link below.

The survey results revealed a statistically significant link between patients' unprompted mentions of the artwork and their experience of positive emotions. Staff also observed a positive influence on patient practitioner interactions by fostering an atmosphere more conducive to better communication. This aligns with academic research indicating that engaging with sensory stimuli can produce positive therapeutic effects. As a small study, Soothing the Space marks a significant development in understanding how immersive art can support healing and well-being in healthcare settings.

Who am I?
This initiative arose from a confluence of my forty-five years as a professional artist and three subsequent years in a patient-facing administrative role at a busy medical practice. The practice partners kindly invited me to showcase my work and then record its impact in a formal survey of patients, staff, and visitors. It was a revelation for me to witness the profoundly positive effect that the introduction of a multimodal artwork can have within a clinical environment. My aim here is to introduce this initiative and to extend it directly to other medical settings nationwide.