Interactive Woodland at Royal London Hospital

NEXUS & CHRIS O’SHEA TRANSPORT CHILDREN TO INTERACTIVE WOODLAND WORLD IN NEW PLAYSPACE AT ROYAL LONDON HOSPITAL

Chris O’Shea, the artist and interaction designer, collaborated with Nexus Interactive Arts, to create ‘Woodland Wiggle’ – an innovative interactive installation at Europe’s newest hospital, The Royal London, which helps children benefit from the healing powers of art and play.

‘Woodland Wiggle’ is a pioneering interactive game displayed on a television the size of a room. It allows children to enter into a storybook illustrated world enabling them to paint; play music; and trigger sun, rain, snow and rainbows with animated animal characters across a number of woodland scenes.

Working in close consultation with clinical teams at the hospital, and following a series of workshops with physiotherapists and occupational therapists, O’Shea was able to determine the movements that would give children the best health benefits which strongly influenced the format and design of the games created.

O’Shea based the movements on suggestions made by the nurses, staff, and physiotherapists, incorporating a range of motions the staff use when they go on their rounds or as part of the workshops to keep the kids active. Things like spiraling arms for movement of the wind and trickle fingers in the air for rain, which are directly used in the piece. The challenge was in keeping the interaction simple yet engaging.

The Project was commissioned by Vital Arts, the arts organisation for Barts Health NHS Trust with funding from Transformers, funded by The National Lottery, the Olympic Lottery Distributor and managed by ELBA and has been receiving some amazing press:

The Creators Project
The Guardian
Creative Review
LBB Online
Evening Standard

Credits

Artist Chris O’Shea
Producer Beccy McCray
Executive Producer Luke Ritchie
Development Producer Claire Spencer Cook
Production Assistant Carmen de Witt
Illustrator and Animator Felix Massie
Composer and Sound Designer Brains and Hunch
Documentation Editor Dave Slade
Production Company Nexus Interactive Arts