Colour Connects

We know that positive outcomes in mental health are a product of many factors, and one key factor is the environments in which care is delivered.

Throughout various phases of redevelopment, CAMH has improved our hospital spaces to create functional, modern areas for recovery. Replacing outdated physical structures with purpose-built environments for care has been beneficial for the patients we treat, as well as staff responsible for their care.

But sometimes, introducing new spaces is not enough, and additional work needs to be done to transform clinical hospital areas into warm, welcoming spaces for healing that are conducive to recover.

This was a predicament that Recreation Therapist Janu Macdonald identified when the CAMH Downtown Central outpatient clinic moved from their offices on the vibrant West Queen West site to an upper floor of the hospital’s College and Spadina location. Going from a comfortable, familiar place for outpatients to a space that was formerly a clinical inpatient ward introduced a few challenges.

“Our service treats clients with schizophrenia and other complex illnesses. A lot of our clients have concurrent disorders as well, and there’s high demand for our services,” she says. “I happened to mention to Janine Bakalaar, Manager of CAMH Gifts of Light that we were moving. The walls of our new clinic were mint (coloured), and it just felt so clinical. It was an institutionalized space from when it was still an inpatient unit.”

Making the connection

Working to find a solution that would help bring a bit of colour and warmth to a hospital unit for longer-term outpatients, Janine and Janu connected with Caroline Macfarlane, a designer, artist and filmmaker who was eager to work with CAMH. She had reached out to CAMH Gifts of Light to facilitate a collaboration, and this seemed perfectly suited to her experience.

“My work is about creating restorative spaces that feel good. ” says Caroline. “I believe we all deserve to feel safe and inspired by our surroundings.”

For Caroline, this project started as a personal endeavour that stemmed from a tragic beginning. “Seven years ago, my younger brother Blake was diagnosed with leukemia. During his illness I spent a lot of time hanging out in hospitals, and I was always struck with the same sad truth: despite the general excellence of treatment, our medical institutions are designed for efficiency and economy, not wellness. Since my brother’s death, I have made it my life’s mission to do something about this by bringing collaborative art-making and colour to health institutions so that the environment doesn’t work against the healing process.”

She brought with her a methodology that revolved around colour, one that was focused on the connection between our perception of colour, our well-being and how we experienced the world.

“Colour isn’t just decoration, it’s a biological experience. We read colour physically and emotionally; we process these colours in the unconscious brain so quickly, that we feel their impacts before we have the words to describe them. Colour plays a critical role in determining our mental, physical and social well-being, making it an integral instrument for creating restorative spaces.” Unlike a traditional design process, where a designer comes in and decides how things ought to look, Caroline works closely with the patients. Their ideas drive the design process.

Having piloted her Colour Connects project in a men’s shelter in New York City’s Lower East Side, Caroline was certain that it would translate well to people with complex mental illness. For Janu, this was an opportunity to introduce a project that would bring multiple positive outcomes to patients at CAMH.

“I was really excited. Anytime we can get a collaboration going, we bring an outside perspective – and a professional perspective,” says Janu. “But it was really important and key for us to have the clients’ immediate feedback and input on what they wanted to see in the space. We purposely planned it for the wall space in front of the rooms where their programming would be, so when we run a program, the clients would have to walk by to enter, hopefully set a tone for their participation, and introduce a bit of colour, which has the effect of impacting their mood.”

Painting away the blues

Together, Janu and Caroline facilitated three discussions groups of around 10 participants each to consider the question, “What brings you joy?”  Clients then put together collages using whatever artistic medium felt good to them. This is what would eventually form the basis of the look and feel of the space. Caroline encouraged them to think more about how certain colours feel, rather how they look.

“I tried to make it feel as welcome and fun as possible by hanging art on the walls, streamers from the ceiling and covering our table with tons of colourful art supplies,” says Caroline. “I wanted the space to inspire creativity. The workshops are stress free afternoons filled with art, music and laughter. Sometimes the most amazing stories and artwork come from the clients who are most reclusive. I remember speaking to one patient who arrived non-verbal, and by the end of the workshop he was energetically talking about his collage and favourite colours.”

Art and art discovery played a large role in the sessions. “This was an opportunity for the clients to really share their perspectives, and we all learned so much in the exploration of art,” says Janu. The sessions included discussion around the connections between art and mental health, as well as conversations around famous artists who had a mental illness diagnosis – and how that may have even benefitted their artistic process. “This process provided a conversation piece to get the ball rolling with our clients, that this is something they can do at home… and many realized that you don’t actually have to be an artist to create art.”

Working during the pandemic introduced obstacles, including unforeseen delays and limits to how many people could participate in the workshops. Among their biggest regrets was that the patients were not able to join in to actually paint the walls that they had helped to conceptualize, due to concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID-19. 

“The biggest concessions was that I wasn’t able to paint the walls with the patients, which has been a key part of my project so far,” Caroline says. “However, some exciting developments emerged from having to pivot due to Omicron. We were able to use Bauwerk lime wash paints, which are made from natural materials, clay and natural pigments, leaving no fumes. These paints are anti-bacterial, anti-mold and actually add oxygen to the environment. I have long dreamt of bringing these healthy paints to institutions like CAMH, so I was thrilled when the team at CAMH agreed that we should use them! The process of painting with natural paints is a little different, so without the patients Janu and I were able to get a really good sense of the material. My hope is that we will be able to teach the patients how to paint in lime wash together on another wall once we can be together again.”

“I really wish we had been able to see the clients be involved in the painting part of the process. We’re hoping that in the future we can get Caroline back with the clients and they can add to the wall,” says Janu. “The clients just loved Caroline, and she was so engaging with them so we would love to collaborate again.”

“Because I couldn’t paint with the patients, I realized I had to find another way to make their imprint on the wall more visible,” says Caroline. “So I made wallpaper using elements of all the collages they had made in our workshops to be installed on a portion of our wall. I’d never done a large scale collaborative collage before and I think this is something I will do again. It looks fantastic and was a nice way to make the patients feel more visible on the wall when they couldn’t be there in person to paint it themselves. Blue skies, sunsets and big horizons were a reoccurring theme in the collages the patients made and so that is the theme of our wallpaper piece.

More than a fresh coat of paint…

The art itself adorns one of the hallways of the Downtown Central and Downtown East clinic, on the seventh floor of the CAMH College site. For many clients who come to this clinic in search of care on their recovery journey, it’s a reminder that they are not alone; that there are others who are also dealing with similar obstacles and overcoming them.

“I drew a sunset because I like the idea of horizons. Coming to CAMH is like a horizon that I’m always looking towards,” said one client.

One portion in particular sticks out. It’s a quote in a client’s own handwriting that resonated with the clients involved in the project:

For Janu and Caroline, these walls are a testament to the strength and resilience of the people they serve and an affirmation that what they’re doing is making a difference. A lasting reminder of the importance of co-creation, of seeking advice and feedback from people with lived experience, and of how inclusion – and feeling welcome – can have a positive impact on a person’s wellbeing.

This project and others like it are made possible thanks to support and funding from CAMH Gifts of Light and its donors. By giving to Gifts of Light, donors help to support innovative initiatives to improve patient experience and promote recovery.