2014 … a year in 2 min 14 sec (Behind-the-scenes commentary)

‘Can I discuss an idea with you perhaps tomorrow? It’s difficult to write this in an e-mail but easier to discuss or brainstorm by phone potentially… are you around?’

Erik had this idea in mind for a different Christmas card this year.

‘Can we show what groupH does through the means of movement and dance? Can we find a way to explain science through arts? Conceptual, abstract and minimal.’

A team of 14 got together and started develop this challenging and beautiful idea in mid-October.

What can we do? How can we show what we do as a team to support each other? Are we aware that our work directly impacts patients’ life? How can we work better to improve how others feel?

The dance piece presented here was developed in collaboration with composers, cinematographers, contemporary dancers and multidisciplinary artists based in London.

With concepts such as ‘thinking outside the box’ and ‘support’, it tries to reproduce the team work present at groupH. The team is a vehicle between the real world and the mind. The colours of the dancers costumes represent heart (red), brain (white) and legs (black). The also represent groupH identity. The masking tape is a visual metaphor for the data that travels across the team and outside the team, the individual’s thoughts and the team’s thoughts; and how all these ideas connect through the tape. With teamwork, the tape becomes a plaster. The plaster is an image of a patient getting help.

A visual story about arts and science working together. A story about the balance between thinking, doing and delivering. About helping each other to contribute towards a result that will hopefully improve people’s lives.

This is a representation, a process starting from one single point, diverging, broadening at mid-point coming together again and ending all again in one point (‘diamond shaped project process’), a dynamical system ‘thinking outside the box’.