Aesthetic nature videos projected in waiting rooms, inviting contemplation and creativity
Benoît Labourdette
2022
On the beach of my imagination consists of a series of videos of visual journeys through nature, slowed down to an extremely gentle rhythm. It was produced at the Centre Hospitalier Jacques Monod – Groupement Hospitalier de Territoire Les Collines de Normandie, in Flers, Normandy.
In addition to images shot by the artist, the project includes videos shot by caregivers following on-site workshops.
Cache-cache Parc
15 October 2023
Echappade – Léopoldine Roux
15 October 2023Sur la plage de mon imaginaire – Benoît Labourdette
Benoît Labourdette's work
CH de Flers wanted to create an artistic setting for the outpatients’ waiting room on the first floor, an 80m² space that sees a wide variety of patients and carers. The room is very busy, and waiting times can be long. The establishment wanted “a surprising, intriguing creation to occupy the time the user spends here, to make them ask questions,
Benoît Labourdette’s images are almost abstract; the projection is subtle, very, very slow, and visitors who linger may see a painting on the floor before noticing the movement. In this way, the work is suggested but not imposed on patients.
The projection of video images offers a new aesthetic experience, inviting relaxation, contemplation and a gentle playful activity, particularly suited to moments of waiting. The image is immaterial, but it encounters the material surface. In this way, the image draws the imaginary into the real. It shifts the way we look at everyday life, opening up the imagination for each and every one of us. Contemplating, for example, the simple movements of tree leaves or the sea, projected in front of you, opens the door to the projection of your own memories and sensations.
“It’s not an image in a corner, it’s an image that becomes architecture”.
Workshops at CH de Flers
Between January and May, Benoît Labourdette carried out 8 visits and several workshops with staff from the Flers hospital. The aim was to accompany them as they filmed images around the establishment, and to guide them through the shooting process. To enable everyone to contribute to the project, a short guide was distributed internally, and some of the staff were able to suggest images which they shot following the artist’s recommendations: “still shots of 5 minutes sharp, fairly wide, with a great perspective, often with a lot of sky, to open up the waiting room”.
Among the staff, a receptionist presented three videos he had made on his own, which he wanted to add to the project. Benoît Labourdette was delighted: “They were perfect, but really, I’m impressed. He understood everything. He did still shots. On water, in his garden, on a golf course and on a river with people going by in canoes. He took the right distance in his garden, he put an empty armchair in the middle, as if inviting people to settle down.”
