Not your typical gallery
by Mark ~ February 28th, 2010. Filed under: Michigan, art, business, landscape, nature photography.
Henry Ford Detroit
Health care centers are increasingly looking to nature photography to help add some color, warmth, and serenity to normally visually cold, sterile, bland environments. This is one of the latest installations of my work at a hospital in Detroit in one of those environments. This is the radiology corridor at Henry Ford Hospital Detroit, where three 36×48 inch panels of landscape photographs from Michigan hang. There is certainly an interesting paradox going on between the display environment and the photographs.
While one could say that the environment and lighting doesn’t flatter the imagery, (as in most “gallery” situations), the flip side of this is that the imagery allows an escape from the environment. This hallway didn’t offer much for those that have to walk it everyday. For an often stressful environment like a hospital, this can only be a welcome addition. There has been an ongoing shift in health care facility design towards changing the old ways of looking at these places.
Nothing could be a better example of this than the newly designed Henry Ford West Bloomfield hospital that took advantage of evidence based design concepts in a new construction.
It was good to see the pieces finally up and many, many people walking past them. It seems like a high traffic corridor. As my wife Lisa wisely pointed out, “it looks like the hospital’s gift to the employees. All in all, it was a nice visit to Detroit, followed up with a great dinner at Small Plates in the Broadway district.
February 28th, 2010 at
That looks spectacular. Are these mounted and laminated paper prints, or canvas?
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
February 28th, 2010 at
Thanks Roberta. They are paper prints mounted on very thin Cintra board.
[Reply]
February 28th, 2010 at
The hospitals in my area have wonderful arts programs. I’ve been so busy, but I really need to look into more of them.
[Reply]
February 28th, 2010 at
Nice work, Mark! They look good – I agree, it’s nice when places use art to make the environment a little more uplifting. The local sheriff’s department bought one of my prints a few years ago to put in their trauma room where they take recent victims of violence – they thought the image would have a pacifying effect. I like thinking that that print is doing some good somewhere…
[Reply]
February 28th, 2010 at
[...] Read more here: Michigan health care hospital art | Graf Nature Photography … [...]
February 28th, 2010 at
Mark, rumor has it your photos have some magical healing powers which make them in high demand for hospitals and such…oh wait, you started that rumor.
All kidding aside, your photos look wonderful (I checked out the ones on Facebook as well) and certainly bring beauty and a sense of calm to places they can do the most good. It’s wonderful for them and also wonderful for you. Congratulation to all!
[Reply]
February 28th, 2010 at
Jeez Earl – you are not suppose to reveal the sources of such rumors!
[Reply]
February 28th, 2010 at
That’s great Mark, we are actually going to build a large hospital in our area in the next couple of years and I have been approached about buying and displaying many of my images.
[Reply]
March 1st, 2010 at
Finally has someone realized that hospitals are places full of suffer and so it might be good idea to brighten up their gloomy atmosphere with something that give suffering minds some pleasure or at least a short time relief. It’s great that your photos will help people at the Henry Ford Hospital Detroit.
By the end of last year I visited a Blood Donation Centre in Ostrava, Czech Republic, where a couple of my colleagues started their exhibition.
[Reply]
March 1st, 2010 at
they look great Mark – what a nice idea
[Reply]
March 1st, 2010 at
I have seen hallways such as this one which always seemed to contain images that had that “been there, seen that” feel.
Here you have shown another direction that many are finally taking, ….. thankfully!
Excellent work my friend!
Michael
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at
Thanks everyone
[Reply]
March 1st, 2010 at
I believe our images do have the power to bring forth emotions, which heal.
[Reply]
March 1st, 2010 at
Excellent, Mark. I’m sure that your photos will bring smiles and uplifted spirits to those who view them!
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at
Thanks Paul – sorry for some reason your comment was binned to my spam que and I just noticed it.
[Reply]
March 2nd, 2010 at
This is a great post because you are setting the example for what can be done. It gives us readers ideas. Also, what a boon to the hospital(s). It’s high time that hospitals provide a more healing environment. Besides, anything new, innovative and earth-friendly is probably sorely needed and welcome in Detroit.
[Reply]
March 2nd, 2010 at
Wow, this is really great Mark. It does seem like a natural choice for such places to want to bring such lovely and peaceful images into their space. I’m sure the staff and patients appreciate and enjoy them very much. Congrats on the exhibit. (Also, I see your blog was listed as one of 50 Amazing Nature Photography Bloggers on photography-colleges.org. Congrats!)
[Reply]
March 3rd, 2010 at
Thank you David and Heather.
[Reply]
March 4th, 2010 at
I can only chime in with the previous comments. Those photos will certainly add in a very positive sense to the atmosphere in that clinic, for patients and employees alike.
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
March 4th, 2010 at
Thanks Thomas
[Reply]
March 7th, 2010 at
Mark, congratulations on having your photographs displayed here and more importantly, for contributing to the wellness of others (I would imagine both personnel as well as their patients!).
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
March 8th, 2010 at
Thanks Diane.
[Reply]