Working on this commission has been a pleasure and has given me an opportunity for artistic and personal growth. Creating the Murals for this very special group of people has been a collaborative process involving both the staff and the residents of DeafBlind. [DeafBlind Ontario Services website here »]
The Murals are designed to contribute visual and in a tactile experiences in keeping with the benefits of the specialized sensory rooms where they are installed, called Snoezelen Rooms (see more below). I’ve had the opportunity to experiment with some new mediums and approaches so that each Mural has a variety of 3-D elements and textures. The themes for the DeafBlind Murals include: Under Water, Tropical Rainforest, and a Nova Scotia Landscape.
See media articles about Carol's installations in Deafblind homes in Byron, Ontario (Londoner) here » and Kitchener Ontario (Kitchener Record) here »
About Snoezelen Rooms
The Imaginative choice for effective therapy, creative teaching and life experiences. The concept of Snoezelen was defined in the late 1970s by two Dutch therapists while working at a centre in Holland. The centre supported individuals with developmental disabilities.
Over the years the concept has been very successful with increased interest. Resources have become more sophisticated from the early days of tents and home made effects to feather fancies, infinity tunnels, fiber optics and much more. Snoezelen has grown into a world wide movement that has resulted in thousands of installations, conferences and research projects.
Today Snoezelen environments are created for children, adults with disabilities seniors with senile dementia, individuals with mental illness, and persons with chronic pain, challenging behaviors, and brain injury. The reason for its success is that Snoezelen is a wonderful blend of sights, sounds, textures aromas within an environment that is filled with a variety of images, colors, easy to use devices, buttons, switches, and easy to grasp objects with different textures.
The Snoezelen environment is safe, non-threatening that gently stimulates the senses. All participants experience self control, autonomous discovery, exploration within an environment that is self directed. Research has shown that Snoezelen/multi sensory environments provide opportunities for individuals with support persons to develop and enhance relationships. Exploration, creativity can turn any environment into a rich fascinating place to call your own.
