Before Christmas, we are happy not only with lights, but also with white winter color, provided that it is not the white walls of a hospital. Most people, after entering a treatment facility, try to get out of it as soon as possible. At home - it's more comfortable, there is no "slowness" typical of hospitals. However, Aurimas Kadzevičius, who works as an advertising creative, and Milda Kadzevičienė, an interior designer, have proven over the past year that a hospital ward can also be cozy and playful. He volunteered to repair the Children's Neurology Department at Santara Children's Hospital. It only took an idea, enthusiasm, several dozen hours of time and buckets of high-quality hospital-grade Tikkurila paint to create dozens of smile-inducing wards.
When the idea arose, he turned to his daughter's doctor
"Augustina Jankauskienė, professor of the Children's Clinic, head of the Pediatric Center, previously treated our daughter who was suffering from a serious illness. I wanted to thank the doctors who did their work perfectly and with great love. I am inspired by the works and style of the Spanish painter Joan Miró. I also browsed various blogs of creators and artists, and the British artist Morgan Myerscougt caught my eye, who created a design of bright figures in one of the hospitals, - said A. Kadzevičius about the birth of the idea. - We decided to do something similar ourselves, I sent prof. A. Jankauskienei's question: could we do something like this in Lithuania?".
The staff of the pediatric neurology department welcomed this idea very favorably. In addition, this department usually receives less attention from various sponsors, even though neurological diseases also keep children in the hospital for a long time.
"We found out that the renovation of the premises will start soon and all we need to implement our idea is paint. Milda hinted to me that the company "Tikkurila" supports street artists with paints. We thought, maybe they will support our idea as well?" - recalled the interviewer.
After meeting with the company's representatives, A. Kadzevičius received a positive response and huge support even before he finished his presentation.
Tikkurila sales director Pijus Genevičius says that the company he represents tries to support initiatives aimed at helping children.
"The topic of children is very sensitive, so we are a socially responsible company, we try to do good things all the time. As soon as we heard about this idea, we said: "Let's do it!" Let's do it faster!". We realize that if you end up in such a situation, in the hospital, and the walls oppress you... It's very sad," P. Genevičius said.
Simple drawings and natural objects are not chosen randomly
For the hospital, Tikkurila provided special odorless paints containing active silver ions, which prevent the growth of microbes on the painted surface.
Before starting this job, A. Kadzevičius, who had been in the ward, delved into children's neurology and what specifically has a positive effect on their recovery.
"I wanted something to appear on the walls that brings the patient closer to nature, to summer, closer to plants, beetles, and natural phenomena. Nature brings good emotions to everyone, helps to heal. By the way, children need to draw the simplest and most diversely interpreted drawing possible. If you show a child a complex drawing, he will understand that he could not draw it himself. When painting the wards, we went, one might say, to completely primitive drawings, but they encourage children to be confident in themselves. Each spot can be a lake, or maybe a cloud, or a meadow - or whatever you see in that spot," said the author of the idea. According to him, children with neurological diseases are helped to recover by various methods that stimulate their thinking.
In each drawing, the named miniature beetle has a connection with a natural object or phenomenon.
"The connection between the child and the mother is very important when the child is sick. As well as the child's connection with the rest of the environment. Therefore, the friendship between beetles and milk fluff, a tree or a lake reminds us of this every time", says Aurimas Kadzevičius.
He reminded that any work of art also has a positive effect on human well-being and emotions.
"I believe that the environment has a very strong effect on well-being. By the way, Milda and I tried to be in a good mood, not tired, when we went to paint the walls. Although the energy of the hospital is not easy - when you go there you can feel the depressing atmosphere. However, we still wanted to leave a drop of optimism on the walls for sick children or their parents. Our drawings might even help them forget for a while. After all, young parents know the rule: if you want your child not to cry, you need to divert his attention. And while sitting in front of a white wall, you remain with your gloomy thoughts", the author of the initiative thought.
Two patients immortalized themselves on the wall of the hospital
All the beetles created by Aurim and his wife Milda Kadzevičienė have the names of medicinal herbs or various plants, which are written next to them on the wall. Aurimas says that this part is very important.
"We received advice from the painter Monika Maziliauskienė to write down the names. Why is this necessary? When you have something near you that you can call by name, you can say that you already have a friend," the interviewer smiled.
Another warm story related to the names: Kadzevičiai worked in the ward where two teenage girls were lying at the time. This is possible because Tikkurila paints are safe for the environment, odorless, so it was possible to paint with them even in the ward used at the time.
"The girls, Dija and Saule, were about 12-14 years old. We drew with the projector on the wall turned on. And we decided to let them draw beetles and write their names next to them. This is the only ward where beetles have real girl names, not herbal names. They later called their parents to brag that they were immortalized on the wall of the hospital", smiled Aurimas Kadzevičius.
Not only the wife of the author of the idea, but also two daughters helped to draw the drawings in the wards. The interviewer laughed that all the walls in the house were painted.
Doctor: children stroke the drawings
Pediatric neurologist Rūta Praninskienė, doctor of the neurology department, says that when children are asked how to paint the wards, the most common answer is: "Not white!"
"Aurimas and his wife Milda painted the wards in delicate colors, created a small beetle with their name everywhere. Children with intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders are in our department. For them, any good emotions are very important," said Dr. Rūta Praninskienė.
The doctor remembered that children sometimes stroke Winnie the Pooh drawn in the playroom, as well as A. Kadzevičius' beetles, and communicate with them. In some wards, glowing paint is used, which emits a faint glow when all the lights are turned off - children can fall asleep more calmly and confidently in such a ward. This was noticed by their parents who were on duty at the hospital.
"Lithuanian hospital interiors should be similar to foreign hospitals: walking through the corridors there, you can find something, pat something, sit on something," says Dr. R. Praninskienė. The doctor smiles that the children who come from further afield remember every playful corner of the hospital. The girls, who came for repeated research and discovered the beetle that they once helped to draw, rejoiced.
"The kids say, 'I'm going to that hospital.' When the environment is cozy and positive, I think that the child's brain blocks all that negative information and experiences. You want to keep the children busy until the moment they are taken out for tests," says the doctor of the Children's Neurology Department.
The interviewer is happy that the authors of the drawings have adapted them to hospital devices, for example, the oxygen tap is the eye of a cloud. Or maybe a saga? The doctor admits that the child begins to fantasize and dream when looking at a more abstract image. The development of children's drawing develops with each year, for example, the first people drawn usually consist of a head and legs. If you start teaching a child how to draw something "correctly", it is possible that he will not draw at all. By the way, famous neuroscientists determine the psychological state of children by analyzing three objects drawn by the child: a person, a house and a tree.
There are still ideas left for the corridors of the department
The process of painting the walls of the hospital took a long time because, as already mentioned, it had to be adapted to the renovation work of the neurology department.
"And still, I was impressed by the last event: we walked around the wards with photographers, took pictures of drawings, and when I opened the door of one of the wards, I was greeted by a girl with an attached dropper: "Hello, you have finally come! I was waiting for you so much! Come, sit next to me." The next day, after an hour of conversation, she invited me to her birthday," the interviewer recalled.
Currently, Aurimas Kadzevičius is planning to make a gallery of children's drawings in the corridors of the Children's Neurology Department.
"We are also thinking of using Tikkurila magnetic paint for the corridors. They would allow the magnet-beetle to be "sticked" anywhere on the wall, to be moved," planned the creative of the advertisement.
Meanwhile, Aurim's cozy and simple beetles and natural objects continue to spread: "Tikkurila" prepared a calendar for 2019, using photographs of the wards.
"We help artists decorate abandoned buildings, we give them paint for that purpose. Last year, we immortalized the collaboration with street artists and their works in a calendar. And this year, we decorated the calendar with images from the wards of the Children's Neurology Department. These drawings, I think, send very nice wishes and emotion to all our customers," Pijus Genevičius said at the end of the conversation.
Authors of the idea: Aurimas and Milda Kadzevičiai
Photographer: Darius Petrulaitis
Author of the article: Inga Labutytė-Atkočaitiene
