March 2, 2006
Context, Collaboration, and Installation
Medicine is often described as both a science and an art. Harborview Medical Center also believes that art in itself can be healing and transformative and has a multifaceted and interdisciplinary art program that brings unique arts experiences to all who enter.
One of the popular aspects of the Harborview Arts Program is its invitation to emerging artists to exhibit their work. Twelve UW third-year photography students, under the direction of Art Professor Ellen Garvens, wanted to go beyond just exhibiting their work at Harborview — they used it as a creative laboratory — a context for creative collaboration.
“The goal of the project was to take art out of the typical environment of a museum or gallery and place it into a totally different context that is relevant and dynamic,” Garvens said. “I wanted the students to make work that engages their subjects and themselves in new ways. I wanted them to understand that the meaning of their work changes depending on where it’s produced and shown.”
Working in the dynamic and diverse environment of Harborview — the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, Garvens’ students spent weeks becoming familiar with the mission, facility, and patient populations. Students collaborated with patients, family members and staff to create their projects. Final projects included intimate portraits, collages, and architecture that together capture the complexities, compassion, and hope that reside in this contemporary medical center.
Students who participated in the project were Fareena Chanda, Youngjin Chun, Sonia Cohan, Tami Gookstetter, Sarah Hollingsworth, Derrick Jefferies, Spencer Kelliher, Eunsong (Angela) Kim, Alan Marts, Lanning Shields, Sarah Takako Skinner, and Joe Timidaiski.
“Watching the students as they encountered challenges, whether technical or interpersonal, was impressive,” Garvens said. “I was really impressed with how the students developed and refined their aesthetic concepts, entered into the world of Harborview and allowed themselves to be influenced by this fascinating environment. The result is art that is both accessible and sophisticated.”
Garvens added that this experiment “would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and hard work of Peggy Weiss,” the Harborview Art Program manager. Weiss has developed a program that extends beyond the permanent collection of art on display throughout the medical center. She has created a venue in which visual, musical and literary artists, established and emerging, can share their gifts and assure that art is an integral part of the Harborview experience.
Context, Collaboration, and Installation exhibit remains on view through March 17 on the 2 West Skybridge at Harborview Medical Center. For more information about this exhibit, contact Ellen Garvens at elgarv@u.washington.edu. For more information about the Harborview Art Program, contact Peggy Weiss at pweiss@u.washington.edu.
Here are just a few images from the Context, Collaboration, and Installation exhibit and a few words from the artists:
Photos of the artwork by Gavin Sisk
Alan Marts, A Moment’s Rest (see above)
This photo comprises a series of studio shots, taken with a digital medium format camera, which were then patched together through Photoshop. Nearly everything has been altered in some way. The image was then printed on backlit paper and mounted within a 29 x 50″ light box.
“Those belonging to the medical field shoulder a burden of responsibility that, to the common observer, seems epic. This shroud of duty, both dense and beautiful, harbors the illusion of being impenetrable, elevating caregivers to a place that no longer resembles the everyday. This mystique is brought out not only through their direct involvement with the maintenance of our health, but the intimate and long-sought knowledge of our everyday workings, an understanding of ourselves that we ourselves can never hope to understand. It is with a flurry of movement and continual insight that they assess our condition, sending us home uncertain as to what just happened but reassured that everything will be all right! again.”
Tami Gookstetter, In Layman’s Terms (Butterflies in Your Stomach, Brain Freeze, Frog in Your Throat, Adam’s Apple, Wrenched Ankle, Funny Bone, Heartburn).
Digital images printed on inkjet shrink plastic, then baked.
“My goal for this project was to create art work that is light-hearted, a little humorous, and easily accessible for people of all ages. My inspiration came from a well-known children’s board game, entitled Operation! I also wanted to create something that did not just hang on the wall, but also utilized the available light in the sky bridge, to catch people’s eyes.”
Sarah Takako Skinner, (with Brian Chaffin, former Harborview patient; Gregory Jurkovitch, Professor, Surgery; Cheryl DeLuna, Spouse of in-patient Juan), In the Eyes of Hope
These images were taken using the Holga camera.
“I chose the idea of ‘hope’ as the concept for the project, and developed an art experience for not only myself but also for a doctor, a patient, and a family member. Hope is the underlying current of energy that streams through every person who enters a hospital for reasons they did not wish for. Each participant was given my toy Holga camera and asked: how do you visualize hope in your life right now—and how do you capture this idea through the lens, to be transformed into a physical image that the world can see?
Sonia Cohan, Untitled
Inkjet print
“For this piece, I wanted to create something specific to Harborview Medical Center, but at the same time get away from the ideas and themes normally associated with hospitals. The architecture of Harborview proved to be a perfect subject, with its rigid and geometric forms standing in contrast to bodily and organic themes. Using exterior images taken from Harborview’s buildings, I constructed an abstract portrait of the hospital. The images line up to create one cohesive skyline, uniting the structures in a way that does not occur in reality.”
Eunsong (Angela) Kim, Milieu 1, Milieu 2, Milieu 3
Photographs. 35 mm and digital format, printed on semi-matte paper
“In these portraits, I wanted to capture the relationships that pull lives together. I feel that relationships are as complex and as simple as a piece of cloth or an embrace. They can range in texture — they can be as soft and flexible as silk, or as secure and needed as an embrace may feel. When thinking about the scarves and cloth in these portraits, I wanted to symbolize each step that is being taken, and the things that come unraveled and together at the same time. The embrace in these portraits are ones of concern and compassion; they reflect the realities of both hopeful and difficult times.”
Spencer Kelliher, Three Leaves
Photograms.
Leaves were placed on light-sensitive paper and exposed to light, revealing the leaf structure and vein patterns (not pictured).
“I wanted to bring a bit of nature inside the hospital.”
