Let them reach for the stars!
The "Cosmos" project brings virtual reality to the bedside of hospitalised children
Culture for Children brings art to the bedside of hospitalised children in intensive care, using virtual reality (VR). Thanks to this technology, we designed an immersive visit of the exhibition Cosmos Destination, the ultimate challenge, which hospitalised children can now visit as if they were going to the Atelier des Lumières in Paris.
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Our action in hospitals
Since 2009, we have been working hand in hand with hospitals and healthcare staff to offer unique artistic experiences to ill children. In hospital, artistic and cultural education guarantees every child's cultural rights, promotes continuity in their learning and gives them a chance to share and escape, an important way of softening their stay. Every year, 600 hospitalised children discover art thanks to the work of our professional cultural mediators.
As long as we can, we are determined to take these children to visit our cultural sites. Unfortunately, not all children are able to do so. For example, children hospitalised in a sterile environment are not allowed to leave their rooms under any circumstances, adding isolation to their illness.
In 2024: virtual reality in hospitals
For them, we have designed an immersive virtual reality tour that allows young patients to visit an art exhibition just like any other child their age. Thanks to this technology, we are able to bring art to the bedside of hospitalised children in critical care (oncology, transplants, palliative care, etc.). Accompanied by a cultural mediator, the patients experience a cultural interlude in their care-filled routine.
Our project has already been tested in several hospitals and the results are clear: the children were absolutely delighted! The immersive experience worked perfectly, and the children saw themselves as much in the exhibition as in their own future. We continue to work hand in hand with doctors, carers and teachers to adapt this programme as closely as possible to each child's state of health.
The Cosmos exhibition
For this pilot project, we are inviting them to discover the exhibition Cosmos Destination. The ultimate challenge, as if they were at the Atelier des Lumières in Paris. This immersive exhibition takes children on a journey into space, immersing them in a maze of stars, planets and nebulae. This trip beyond Earth's borders is as much an invitation to dream as it is an opportunity to immerse the children in scientific culture, made possible thanks to the collaboration of the CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies). A cultural mediator will work with the young patients in two phases, alternating the viewing of the exhibition with the VR headset with activities involving the transmission of knowledge and artistic practice.
Who is it for ?
Thanks to your support, 100 hospitalised children and teenagers will benefit from the virtual reality in hospital project in 2024. Our project will be deployed in the paediatric and critical care departments (oncology, transplant, palliative care) of our partners in hospitals in Paris, Bordeaux and Montpellier.
- AP-HP - Greater Paris University Hospitals
- Montpellier University Hospital
- Bordeaux University Hospital
Feedback from the field
« The quality of the immersive graphic content is absolutely stunning. The subject, the cosmos, offers an aesthetic immersion that can be used as a therapeutic mediator.
Some of our young patients are unable to leave the unit for health reasons, and so our most vulnerable patients will in turn be able to draw on an innovative artistic medium with links to contemporary culture. »
Dr Valérie ADRIAN
Head of the University Hospitalisation Unit for Children and Adolescents
Jean Abadie Centre, Bordeaux University Hospital
The funding
In 2024, €75,000 is needed to fund the participation of 600 hospitalised children in our programmes, including 100 for the virtual reality project, which alone represents a budget of €40,000, of which €25,000 will be funded by the Air France Foundation. So our fundraising target is €15,000.
100% of your donation will be donated to the project! Your generosity will be used to fund the implementation of the project, the purchase of virtual reality headsets, outreach activities and the evaluation of activities.
- By donating €15, you will fund creative materials for a child.
- By donating €50, you will provide an educational workshop for a child.
- By donating €200, you will fund the work of our cultural mediators with a child.
- By donating €500, you will fund the participation of a child in the entire virtual reality project at the hospital.
They support the project
CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies) is a partner in the development of the educational and artistic content linked to the exhibition and is providing us teaching materials to complete the educational kit.
The Air France Foundation is providing €25,000 in financial support for the project in 2024.
Arianespace will provide media resources and a gift for each child involved in the project.