Client: Boston Children’s Hospital

Overview

Interactive, media artwork for Boston Children’s Hospital.

Digital Inflorescence is a captivating art installation which evokes a blossoming arboretum. Taking cues from the intricate patterns found in William Morris wallpapers, the artwork uses a network of white lights and dichroic glass prisms to create mesmerizing botanical geometries.

Staff and patients entering the hospital lobby are greeted by a generative kaleidoscope of colour. In response to their presence, light branches up the wall and unfurls into blooming petals. Kinetic flowers in vibrant shades of magenta, cyan, emerald, and orange invite viewers into an ephemeral encounter with nature.

Materials: mixed media, custom-control software and custom electronics.
Dimensions: 4.3m x 2.2m

Goals

Digital Inflorescence was commissioned by Boston Children’s Hospital for the new Hale Family Building. The main objective was to introduce a site-specific artwork that supports healing, diffuses anxiety and creates a tranquil, welcoming environment.

Displayed in the hospital lobby, the artwork was integrated into an otherwise cold, clinical setting. The intention was to soften the space with something playful and interactive that provokes joy and optimism. By choosing to represent floral geometrics, Jason Bruges Studio also sought to harness the proven therapeutic benefits of immersion in nature.

Process

Digital Inflorescence is an entirely bespoke, one-off art installation. Made up of architects, industrial designers, engineers, visualisers, specialists in electronics, programming and project manager professionals, the JBS team managed the entire project programme from design, fabrication, installation and commissioning through a highly collaborative, hands-on process. Experimentation, iterating, and testing took place in the Studio’s in-house workshop in Hackney, London where 1:1 prototypes were made before progressing with final fabrication. Boston Children’s Hospital’s vision brought real strength to the design process and pushed JBS to follow the principles of biophilic design and bring a sense of nature into the building.