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Recently, I was presented with the opportunity to design an installation for a very elite conference room and office space. Due to the quality and impressive mediums we can provide, I knew this office art installation would be a success. The CEO requested one thing: that the installation be powerful. With confidence, I responded, “Power I will deliver.” After communicating with and getting a feel for the aesthetic preference of the customers, we determined that abstract forms of calm, tranquil water in a peaceful state, framed and mounted to HD Glass, would be best.
Why?… First, because HD Glass, with its vibrant, silver-infused pigment is the most premium way to display still imagery in the world today. If you want your piece to deliver the highest level of impact, you choose HD Glass. Secondly, tranquil, calming water will elevate moods and increase attention in an environment that can and will be intense. I explained that only water can effectively change the cognitive state of a person to a positive one in a board room, and after my visual proposal showing the pieces of interest digitally installed on the wall, the CEO agreed with my vision. Two weeks later, the 2 ton pallet was delivered and I personally installed the work to the spaces. Upon completion, the CEO shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and said, “These installations are amazing. Power you delivered, Sean. Bravo.”
– Sean D. Ruttkay
What does the evidence say?
The evidence is in and when it comes to healing nature rules. Since Roger Ulrich’s 1984 study, ‘View through a window may influence recovery from surgery,’ hundreds of similar studies have concluded with similar findings, that we as humans have an innate disposition to see nature and when we do our physiological condition improves. This conclusion is the bedrock to the approach hospital administration, architects, and interior designers have come to known as Evidence Based Design (EBD).
Improved Patient Outcomes-
Since 1984 thousands of subsequent EBD studies have been conducted. Many of which have focused exclusively on the role art plays in the healing process. For example, we know from a study conducted in Sweden by Ulrich that having a patient simply look at a picture of a landscape has the effect of:
-reducing stress levels
-less pain perception are prescribed
-decreasing blood pressure and heart-rate
-reducing skin conductance (Ulrich 1999)
Staff Satisfaction and Public Appearance:
Installing art derived from nature not only enhances the patient experience but improves staff and visitor comfort as well. For instance a 2007 post-occupancy evaluation of the art program at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston found that Art:
– affected the perception of the quality of care at a hospital
– acted as a de-stressor for staff
– had an impact on the branding of the hospital,
– served as a point of focus and discussion for visitors
– add to the overall appeal of the visual environment
Bottom-line:
Artwork is often the most visible and noticeable aspect of the visual environment. Its potential impact on patients, staff, and visitors is immense. Today, the evidence is unambiguous. Art depicting the natural aesthetic is the only choice for the healthcare environment.
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Experiencing nature and internalizing the sensory stimulation of those experiences is at the heart of what it means to be alive. So what to do when you can’t experience nature in its natural state? My answer is to tune into Ambient TV on my EDAsurf.com YouTube Channel.
How does it work? Your at home or at your desk at work and would like some natural background stimulus to complement whatever monotonous task you might find yourself in. To break the monotony you tune to my YouTube Channel EDAsurf1 where you will find a variety of natural stimulus. Swim with sharks and sea turtles. Watch the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean then set over a saltwater lagoon. Feel the cool breeze of a summer rain as water droplets cascade over ripening apples. Best of all these episodes are delivered to you in HD video and audio. In a matter of moments you will go from counting down the minutes left on the clock to feeling the essence of nature.
As I travel to different locations and gather new content for EDAsurf.com I will be uploading new Ambient TV episodes. I am very interested to know your thoughts on this sensory concept and invite you to send me your comments and feedback to my many social media link points (listed below). Thank you for following my work and happy viewing.
During the winter of 2013 I was in sort of a conceptual rut with my ocean photography. The inside barrel perspective had become banal to me. Every 14 year old with a gopro from Wrightsville Beach to Sydney, Australia was snagging epic barrel shots that just a year before required 
expensive cameras and waterproof housings.
My frustration ended abruptly on a trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. There, I found a very large canvas with fields of flat, solid color spread across and stained into the canvas. These abstract, symmetrical rectangular blocks of two to three opposing or contrasting complementary colors touched me and spoke to deep human emotions. Here, the color felt freed from the objective context and became the subject in itself. Shortly after this experience I said to myself, “these are the same visions I see in the ocean everyday!!”
Then and there, the “Rothko Project” was born and ever since I have been on the hunt for seascapes that hold strong emotions, both positive and negative, imbedded in large blocks of natural color. As this project is a work in progress, I invite you to view the images below as they are the start of my newest body of work inspired by the color field paintings of Mark Rothko.
The parallels between water and love run deep. When you water the wall this Valentine’s Day you are showing you understand love to be:
1. Flow: As a river is ever flowing and ever changing so two is said said for a loving and committed relationship. When you engage in the flow of love you are fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment of the relationship. In essence, love flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. Watering the wall if the first step to this blissful love state
2. Clarity: Effective communication is essential in any lasting romantic relationship. As a partner it is important to be clear. When you water the wall, the transparent nature of the element Is a constant reminder of just how important this is to a healthy lasting relationship.
3. Importance: Water is the most essential substance to our existence. Your loved one, whether it’s significant other, a parent, or a friend is just as essential to you in your life as the element of water. Show them how essential and vital they are by watering their wall this Valentine’s Day.
4. Calming and Comfort: There is a clear connection between natural vivid imagery and a sense of calming and comfort that a person feels when looking at water as art.
When presented with the opportunity to install any work of my choosing for a billboard size (8’x19′) installation above Sweetwater Surf Shop in the heart of Wrightsville Beach NC, a few major questions came to mind. What am I going to show? What kind of statement do I want to make? How am I going to make the piece fit this unique space? After contemplation, I discovered the answers to these tough questions in the guiding principles of minimalism, forced perspective, and color theory.
minimalism: Given that the space is very large and outdoors, special considerations needed to be made as to how the piece would look when viewed at various distances. Due to this factor, I determined a piece with minimal content structure would be best to extend visual impact to all at multiple distances, so as not to confuse the viewer with content from afar. This “less is more” approach also made sense when considering the necessity of the work to complement the organic line structure of the building. The chosen piece must have strong geometric components.
forced perspective: To hold elements of the modern, I needed to chose a piece that manipulated perspectives when the scale was enlarged. Currently, my methodical approach to ocean photography is centered on the technical use of forced perspective. I implement this technique through the use of unconventional lenses that compress and manipulate the scale of the water in motion. As these images are enlarged, their ability to produce the illusion of size increases with the of the size of the installation. For example, a 2′ wave shot with the applied techniques and enlarged to scale at 18′ in length will hold the visual illusion of an 18′ wave.
color theory: Finally, since the work will be in a predominantly blue environment (the building is blue, the sky is blue, etc.) I determined that a blue monochromatic image would be essential to harmony and flow. A further point regarding the use of blue is that it is recognized as the most preferred color of humans across cultures worldwide when compared to all colors in the color wheel.
Utilizing this self imposed three-point checklist, the work that I need to show became crystal clear to me. See my selection installed above this text and in it’s full frame below.
-Sean D. Ruttkay
Eight months ago I walked into Glen Meade Center for Women’s Health for my sons first trimester ultrasound and was immediately taken back by the art décor. In the lobby, exam rooms, and halls there were impressionist Tuscan landscape prints coupled with classic new born baby shots on stretch canvases. Art of this variety was very disconcerting to see in a healthcare space such as this.
Evidence-based art or EBD, which is the study of emphasizing credible evidence to influence design in the healthcare setting to improve patient and staff well being, patient healing, stress reduction, and safety, explicitly recommends vivid and vibrant images of nature. Only art that is derived from the natural world, that can sooth, calm, and bring to ease those who inhabit the intrinsically stressful healthcare environment. Art work of newborns and impressionist paintings do not deliver these benefits and can even cause harm to patients.
Consider the setting of the Women’s Clinic where the artwork of newborns is being displayed. This is a place where families sometimes have to hear tragic news concerning their new born child. Staring at a piece of art depicting a healthy newborn while hearing intense and life changing news can not only be unpleasant but may even cause added duress to patient or family members. With this in mind, I wanted to make a change for the better for both the patients and healthcare staff.
Now eight months later, after working a variety of channels, I am pleased to announce that Glen Meade Center for Women’s Health has purchased and installed 25 of my pieces that encapsulate this holistic evidence based approach to art. Since the installation, I have received an outpouring of positive feedback from patients, doctors, and nurses, who have experienced the new installations in the space. I am confident that this is a change that truly benefits both the patient and the care provider.
– Sean D. Ruttkay