The objective was to make the waiting room feel like a calm, introspective space rather than creating a sense of anxiety in the visitor. The Kings College health centre is transitional for many reasons especially because a majority of the new students are new to London. Therefore, the tones of green and nature in all the works chosen helped in symbolising harmony, freshness and peace. Which brought us to the concept of layering which essentially prevents us from pushing an agenda onto the viewer. Perceptions were left to the viewer's prowess.

The layered approach we adopted was what inspired the project. Not only did we want to capture the generic calming influence of nature but also the connection of plants at the root level. Plants use their roots to communicate with other plants by releasing certain chemical signals. This symbolises the need for human interaction in a person’s life, reinstating that someone will always listen. From the serenity of Japanese gardens to chemical effects but also the sociological aspect of transition both plants and humans have transitional phases, nothing is constant.

Curated by: Emma Barrett, Melanie Khorshdian, Saul Wickremasinghe and Khushi Bansal

For more information visit: https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/central-saint-martins/stories/painting-in-hospitals-the-green-room