Sonic Arts in Society
Research has demonstrated positive correlations between gratitude and wellness. Yet, the hospital—a place where we come to try to get well—can sometimes be a difficult place to feel grateful. This may ring true whether you are a patient in pain, a concerned family member or friend, a caretaker, or a hospital staff member feeling tired and overworked. But, just as we can find beauty in a rainy day, we can find something for which we can be grateful, even in the most difficult times. This sense of gratitude, in turn, may contribute to our sense of happiness and well-being. In the “Gratitude Showers Challenge,” we invited the entire hospital community—patients, family, friends, volunteers, and hospital staff—to share short messages of gratitude that were vinyl cut and placed on clear umbrellas. There is also a sound component to these umbrellas—solar powered raindrop circuits, built by students during a 2020 Winter Term in sonic arts. These are essentially metronome circuits powered by small solar cells that are being affixed to the umbrellas. Once completed the umbrellas will become part of an installation suspended in a small courtyard adjacent to the hospital cafeteria.
Photo by Mike Crupi
Sonic Arts in Society
Research has demonstrated positive correlations between gratitude and wellness. Yet, the hospital—a place where we come to try to get well—can sometimes be a difficult place to feel grateful. This may ring true whether you are a patient in pain, a concerned family member or friend, a caretaker, or a hospital staff member feeling tired and overworked. But, just as we can find beauty in a rainy day, we can find something for which we can be grateful, even in the most difficult times. This sense of gratitude, in turn, may contribute to our sense of happiness and well-being. In the “Gratitude Showers Challenge,” we invited the entire hospital community—patients, family, friends, volunteers, and hospital staff—to share short messages of gratitude that were vinyl cut and placed on clear umbrellas. There is also a sound component to these umbrellas—solar powered raindrop circuits, built by students during a 2020 Winter Term in sonic arts. These are essentially metronome circuits powered by small solar cells that are being affixed to the umbrellas. Once completed the umbrellas will become part of an installation suspended in a small courtyard adjacent to the hospital cafeteria.
Photo by Mike Crupi