Background
In connection with the construction of a new big children’s hospital in Brighton, The Dacapo Theatre was hired by Kajima Building and Design Company to be in charge of the compulsory user involvement – in this case a day where you would consult kids and their parents about decoration and design of the new hospital.
The course of the day
Dacapo worked with 11 children down to the age of 4 years, and appointed those of them who were or had been patients, to be the experts. We made them tell stories about what was nice about the hospital and what was not nice – scary – boring. From the stories we made small plays, that we worked with.
Later in the day we worked with parents and staff. They talked about how the old hospital with its quite impossible conditions actually forced everybody to do a bit extra every day to make things work. What would happen with this extraordinary cooperation between the different professions once they came into the brand new hospital, where it was no longer needed.
Using the theatre we together investigated what does the relations between the staff mean. Are the relations when it comes down to it, more important than the colour on the wall?What would they – staff and parent – like to keep from the old hospital and take with them into the new hospital? How can the design help you transfer valuable relations and what is it that creates them?
The Kajima Building and Design Company made a film on the activities.
