Immersive Art for Wellbeing at Ravenhill Chapel

Jefferson students in the class ‘Lighting as Public Experience’ taught by Professor Lyn Godley are designing a fully  immersive environment with the intention of creating a calming experience for fellow students and staff. Students are using imagery, which based on scientific research has been shown to lower stress. Animating that imagery through video editing software and projecting the content through digital projection mapping software they are filling Ravenhill Chapel with a fully immersive experience.

With the help of Dr. Henry Humphries, Dean of Students and advocate for student health, these live events will be open to all students and staff over the course of three evenings in November. Participants will be invited to engage anywhere from a few minutes to 2.5 hours during each event. Dr. Wendy Ross will also be bringing a group of her patients through the exhibit as well to gauge their reaction. We are reaching out to other faculty to encourage students in need of stress reduction to attend, or who are interested in how the spaces we create could be used as interventions for wellbeing.

A variety of animations will be tested and adapted based on user feedback. Data will be gathered through on-line questionnaires to better understand any impact. Visitors will be invited to respond to qualitative questions via a link to QR (Quick Response) code.

Dr. Rosie Frasso (SKMC- Population Health), Dr. Virginia O’Hayer (SKMC -Center for Behavioral Medicine), Dr. Wendy Ross (SKMC – Center for Autism and Neurodiversity), along with a number of grad assistants have developed the questionnaires and will be analyzing the collected data  to explore any potential impact of engaging with the immersive experience on the wellbeing of the viewers.

In the Spring  of 2024, the data will be used in “Health and the Art Experience” class co-taught by Prof. Godley (SDE-Industrial Design), Dr. Rachel Brandoff (CSLA-Trauma Counseling), and Dr. Wendy Ross (SKMC-Autism and Neurodiversity). Interdisciplinary students in the course will analyze the data compiled by the research team, write case studies and use the research to develop concepts for future immersive environments for well-being.