USAGE ARTS SYNTHESIS TOOLS IN REHABILITATION CENTERS

Abstract

The purpose of the study is generalizing approaches to the synthesis of art in rehabilitation and medical environments at different spatial levels (interior, building, adjacent outdoor area, urban context) and to determine the role of artistic means in environmental therapy for restoring a person’s physical and psycho-emotional condition in post-traumatic settings. Methodology. The study is based on a qualitative comparative-historical analysis of examples of therapeutic and recreational architecture, an analytical review of contemporary “arts in health” and “evidence-based design” practices, and an analysis of the structural-functional configuration of decorative arts, lighting, wayfinding, sculpture, and digital media within scenarios of movement, waiting, therapy, and social interaction. The generalization was carried out by identifying the functions of artistic means (psycho-emotional support, orientation, communication of identity, acoustic comfort, and motivation for exercises) and combining them with safety, hygiene, and barrier-free design requirements. Results. It is established that the synthesis of arts in a rehabilitation environment should be considered as an instrument forming a cellular “complex of experience”, where functionality and the treatment process are supplemented by a content and emotional component. Key forms of art integration are systematized: artistic interior design (monumental-decorative techniques, color, and texture), object-based and exhibition solutions (art objects and thematic installations), lighting scenarios (accent and diffuse lighting, dynamic compositions), communication and wayfinding elements (infographics and visual route markers), and landscape-environmental interventions (healing gardens, urban furniture, tactile surfaces). It is demonstrated that combining these means enhances orientation, reduces the “hospital effect,” and creates conditions for recovery through contact with cultural meanings, nature, and well-organized places of stay. Promising development directions are identified: digital and interactive media (including immersive environments), participatory practices that involve patients in shaping the spatial image, and the integration of art into barrier-free routes and outdoor areas of facilities. The relationship between historical prototypes of the “health city” and contemporary evidence-based approaches relevant to Ukraine’s post-war recovery agenda is clarified. Scientific novelty. A comprehensive interpretation of the synthesis of arts is proposed as a multi-level model of environmental therapy for rehabilitation centers, in which artistic means are treated not as decoration but as elements of functional- technological treatment scenarios and psycho-social integration. Practical relevance. The results can be used in developing design briefs and concepts for the design/reconstruction of rehabilitation centers, in interior and outdoor space design solutions, in urban programs aimed at creating barrier- free routes, pocket parks, and therapeutic courtyards. The generalized approaches are suitable for improving environmental quality, reducing anxiety, enhancing wayfinding, and supporting rehabilitation motivation through artistically organized space.