Flowerfields: A cross-pollination of art and science at Amsterdam UMC
“The ancient Greeks already used my narcotic milk juice at their parties,” is the saying on a wall in Amsterdam UMC. It is about the poppy, part of the art project “Flowerfields” by Elspeth Diederix. “The art project tries to stay as close as possible to the medical specialty of the hospital departments.”
Ding dong! The elevator opens on the fourth floor of Amsterdam UMC. Doctors and nurses rush past. The Flowerfields art project by Elspeth Diederix is therefore not immediately noticeable in the nursing department. But as soon as you move towards the ward waiting room, the flower meadow unfolds on the wall, a true oasis in the middle of the hospital. On the wall is a large photograph of a flower meadow over which four portraits of flowers are highlighted in passe-partouts. The art project was part of the Art & Knowledge series last week in which artists and scientists engage in conversation, organized by Amsterdam UMC and cultural student center Crea. Folia took a look at the art project and spoke about it with the head of art affairs, Sabrina Kamstra, of Amsterdam UMC.
“An incredible amount of research is being conducted at the Amsterdam UMC on many fronts in which art plays a role. Consider, for example, the use of dance and music in the treatment of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's patients. We also have an art collection of more than 7,000 works and we work closely with artists. The question arose as to how we can stimulate scientists and artists and bring them to a broader body of thought. Flowerfields is a good example of this,” says Kamstra.
Flowerfields
Flowerfields is not new. Diederix's art project started in 2018. The flower meadows are part of a six-part project that will be realized in phases in the waiting rooms of various nursing departments. The fourth waiting room has just been completed.
“Flowerfields consists of wall-sized prints of flower meadows with four or more highlighted portraits of plant species that have a medicinal effect. It includes a storytelling platform, in which the plants themselves talk about their medical use and origin,” Kamstra explains. “With each of the six Flowerfields, an attempt has been made to stay as close as possible to the medicinal background of the nursing department. Our hospital pharmacist, Reinier van Hest, helped Diederix select the plants for her project.”
A photo of a flower meadow has been printed in the waiting room of the gastrointestinal and oncological surgery department, a department specializing in stomach, intestinal, and cancer surgery. “Diederix grew the plants herself in the Erasmus Park in Amsterdam, in her outdoor studio called The Miracle Garden,” says Kamstra. The use of some plants in medicine dates from the 8th to 4th centuries BC and is illustrated by a quote on the wall: “The ancient Greeks already used my narcotic milk juice at their parties,” a reference to the sap of the poppy.
Milk of the Poppy!
Alex, a visitor, sits on the couch of the waiting room. His girlfriend is in the hospital for knee surgery. He took a seat in the waiting room and immediately noticed the work of art. “I just didn't know it was a work of art, but the wall appealed to me. Especially the poppy,” says Alex. By this he means the red flower of the poppy. He did not see the QR codes that led to the Flowerfields storytelling platform. In addition to the poppy, there are other portraits of the lily of the valley, foxglove, milk thistle, glossy snowdrop, deadly nightshade, autumn crocus, and chili pepper.
Intern Roel van Rhijn works in the department and had no knowledge of the work of art. “To be honest, I've probably walked past it a few times, but I didn't notice it,” he says. As soon as he stands in front of Diederix's work, he immediately notices the poppy. “Milk of the poppy!” he shouts. “That's what you use to make opiates, to sedate. Very cool that art comes together with information from the hospital.”
In addition to Diederix's work, there is a lot of art in the 40-kilometer-long corridor system of the Amsterdam UMC, each with its own history. Kamstra proudly poses next to a work by Krijn de Koning on the ground floor of the hospital. “We have just received this installation, a work of art that you can just touch. A piece of connecting power. We also hope to connect our patients to art and science with Flowerfields and its storytelling platform, thus offering a bit of peace in the hospital.”
The next edition of Art & Knowledge is about pain and is a collaboration with the literary magazine De Gids and will take place on December 13th in CREA at 8:00 p.m. Want to stay informed? Follow Amsterdam UMC Art on Instagram.
