In late January 2022 a proposal was submitted for an art-for-architecture competition for the Bundeswehr-Zentralkrankenhaus, the central hospital of the German armed forces, in Koblenz. The location for the artistic design is the main axis on the first floor of the new building. As the walls, ceilings and floors provide limited opportunities for design, the concept entitled “Ein Hauch natürlichen Lebens” (a breath of natural life) proposed a series of video projections. The jury on 8 March choose this concept and recommended it for being executed.
A breath of natural life
The aim of this artistic concept is to open. To lead out of the cocoon, out of isolation, out of being tied to illness. It aims to bridge the gap to the outside world, to the openness and richness of life. It therefore brings signs of life to the inside – in a quiet, cautious way.
The purpose of the video installations is to create imagination, to stage a situation, as if a (low-lying) sun were shining inside and casting shadows on the walls and ceilings – pale, delicately grey shadows of branches and leaves that move slightly in the wind. They are intended to appear genuine, as if these trees were standing outside, in front of the façade, and casting shadows inside.
It is indeed genuine: life really is outside, and shows itself here in a manner that is close to nature and extremely subtle. We all know this, have seen it often, and are now reminded of it: life is outside, inviting and promising, so that patients forget the reality of hospital for a while and dream.
Six different video projections are distributed across the entire length of the main axis. They only appear in places where there are windows, so that the presentation always seems realistic. They fade in and fade out, just as in nature: the sun comes out, disappears, and comes out again. This means that the play of shadows is not always present but appears temporarily, continually producing pleasant surprises. In the area that is the entrance from outside and at the same time the stairwell, there are two projections that are never seen simultaneously but follow one another.
The video images operate only during daylight hours. Their effect is to reinforce the experience of daylight. In the hours of darkness, by contrast, a “cinema effect” would arise. This is not intended and should therefore be avoided. In this way, as darkness falls – especially perceptible in the winter months – a calming effect takes place. The absence of the projections then signals a period of rest.
The projectors are installed close to the ceiling. The projections are visible on parts of the ceilings and the walls. The walls are used only above head height so that the beam of light never strikes the eyes of passers-by.