ART & DESIGN DEGREE SHOW AT DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY, 2012

At De Montfort University this evening for the Art and Design Degree Show. I've been invited by Rosemarie Fitton, Senior Lecturer in Interior Design (and member of Leicester Council of Faiths). She introduces me to Evadine Okoye, one of the students whose work is on show here. That's Evadine in the photo above, in front of the display of her work (Rosemarie is on her left).

Evadine has worked on a project that combines spirituality and mental well-being: Restore, a Spiritual Healing Facility. This is a theme that's been a thread running through my post and through this blog.

Here's Evadine's page in the Interior Design catalogue (in which she lists her likes as Afrobeats, Jesus and mango juice; and her dislikes as rainy days, yam, public transport)

When considering an interior, I view it as a very important aspect especially when it comes to an individual and how they connect with a building and its spatial attributes. I believe that the interior space has a significant influence and also plays a vital role in determining a person's feelings as well as the environment they are in. While studying at De Montfort University I have gained a key interest in Theatrical/Set Design and recently, the ideology of Holy and Spiritual Places. My passion for both of these areas stems from the desire to understand the connection users have with the space and how they interact with the environment they are placed in.

Restore: A Spiritual Healing Facility 

Civilisation today offers various facilities and services such as Retreats, Rehab centres and Mental Institutions. These facilities require their own unique system, methods and schemes that are available to patients who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia; offering them the help and support they need. However a question that generally arises is how can we find another unconventional mechanism to assist, aid and support those who have been discharged from institutional units and are still desperate for a solution?

"For many living with schizophrenia, religion and spirituality have an important and positive role ... religion plays a central role in the processes of reconstructing a sense of self and recovery." (Dr D. Cornah, on behalf of the Mental Health Foundation, 2006)

Restore as a spiritual intervention within mainstream health care is a concept that has been designed to help aid the restoration of discharged schizophrenic patients who are still on the road to recovery. By using the practices of Christianity as a catalyst, it becomes an inspiration for the design that reinforces and penetrates a purity of hope and healing through the facility. With the concept relying on the sun path as the main source of lighting, the facility is emphasised as a place to seek a positive future for all sufferers.