The Harmonic Oscillator reimagines twenty-first-century health environments with an artist-led process. By placing contemporary artist Vic McEwan within a functioning hospital ward, we relocate the traditional creative working space of the studio into the living space of the health-care setting, amongst the fear of intensive care, the deafening sonic bombardment of the MRI scanner and the daily drudgery of dialysis.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that average noise levels should be lower than 35 decibels in hospital treatment rooms and 30 in wards, a standard that hospitals struggle to achieve. Research tells us that the loud soundscapes of our hospital spaces are having adverse effects on recovery with identified issues including:
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Triggering the sympathetic nervous system, which increases cardiac work
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Increased blood pressure
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Adverse effects on respiratory muscle function
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Increased sedation requirements in critically ill patients
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Contributing to sleep disturbance
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Causing stress reactions
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Impaired immune function
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Decreased weight gain
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Impairing communication with staff and family – especially for mechanically ventilated patients
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Contributing to hearing loss
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Causing unrest for patients who appear to be sleeping, while under heavy sedation or being mechanically ventilated
This project considers how the artist-as-researcher might engage with the lived experience of patients, families and staff to generate outcomes that enable a better understanding of the human experience of treatment and recovery.
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