Gravity

Anti-microbial acrylic paint on wall surface Various sizes (approximately 400cm x 200cm) Willow Therapy Unit, Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust Commissioned by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Gravity is a series of 7 abstract compositions painted directly onto the walls of Forest Walk and Garden Walk in the Willow Therapy Unit. Gravity uses geometry and colour to represent dynamism and balance. Perspectival blocks pivot and roll over circles and ellipses in a visual playfulness that mirrors the balancing exercises of therapy. The aim was to produce uplifting and optimistic images that encourage viewers to explore the full extent of the painting by walking the corridor, thereby contributing to exercise and the therapeutic process. Each abstract painting is accompanied by text, a simple narrative of positivity in relation to balance. The words are derived from the creative art workshops and writing exercises that Carl Rowe provided for service users and service providers in the spring of 2024. According to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, “A healthy balance system uses information from the brain, inner ears, eyes, and joints…”. With physical therapy as the starting point for a thematic approach, Rowe has dwelt upon the importance of our systemic equilibrium, both mechanical and chemical. We subconsciously counteract the forces of gravity with every tiny movement, enabling our negotiation of the material world. We balance our bodily functions through good diet and wellbeing. But illness and injury can throw this symbiosis out of alignment, so we learn again and persevere. The installation Gravity is an active part of a restorative process and is intended to be both engaging and joyful.