Kyoto University of the Arts Students Create a Space that Embraces Mothers and Families with "Connecting Lines" in the Obstetrics Ward at Kitano Hospital, Osaka

One of the social implementation projects undertaken by Kyoto University of the Arts (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto / President: Taku Sato) is the hospital art project "Hapii+" (Hapii Plus), which aims to improve the medical environment. "Hapii+" has been continuously active for 17 years since its commencement in 2009. This year, at the request of Kitano Hospital, Medical Research Institute (Kita-ku, Osaka / Director: Nobuya Inagaki / Hospital Director: Daisuke Hata), hospital art was installed on the walls of the obstetrics ward.

"Hapii+" 17 Years of Achievements and Background of Activities Hospital art, an art activity originating in Europe and America with the aim of providing psychological care for patients and medical professionals, has gradually permeated Japan since the 2000s and is now adopted by various medical institutions.

"Hapii+", one of our university's social implementation projects, began its activities in 2009. Students from all departments are recruited to participate. In the early stages of the project, installations were primarily carried out at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Hospital, and later at Kyoto University Hospital.

Kitano Hospital, Medical Research Institute, saw its first installation in 2021, and works have since been created in various spaces such as the outpatient area, NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)/GCU (Growth and Development Unit), and the chemotherapy center. This fourth installation involved applying hospital art to the obstetrics ward.

(Reference) Previous installations by "Hapii+" at Kitano Hospital, Medical Research Institute NICU/GCU (2021): https://uryu-tsushin.kyoto-art.ac.jp/detail/1001 Chemotherapy Center (2023): https://uryu-tsushin.kyoto-art.ac.jp/detail/1248

Expressing "Seamless Care" with "Connecting Lines" to Embrace Individual Sentiments The key to the hospital art created this time is the "expression of lines." Inspired by Kitano Hospital's concept of "seamless care," line motifs were applied to the entrance of the obstetrics ward, the walls of the nursing station, the delivery room, and the newborn visitation room.

The spaces that mothers, families, and newborns will see during the childbirth process are gently connected by soft lines, tenderly embracing their individual emotions. <img src="https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/26069/670/26069-670-477787c6a8f3929c4bcbf1b619d8594f-3900