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Pitchfork APRIL 18, 2013 - by Jenn Pelly

BRIAN ENO CREATES HEALING MUSIC AND LIGHT INSTALLATIONS FOR HOSPITALS

Brian Eno gets all of the gold stars for this one. The man who once made soothing ambient music to calm airport patrons is now creating healing soundscapes for hospitals, as The Independent reports. Launched this week at Montefiore Hospital in Hove, East Sussex, England, Eno's light and sound installations are intended to help improve the health of patients.

Montefiore Hospital now features two Eno works. 77 Million Paintings For Montefiore, in the hospital's reception area, uses Eno's innovative "generative music" system for an ever-changing soundscape. It uses the same technology as his music-making Scape iPad app from last year. The hospital also features Quiet Room For Montefiore, a full album that can only be heard in the hospital's downstairs area (for patients, visitors, and staff). This one is a fixed soundtrack.

As The Independent notes, research has shown that art and music "can produce improved psychological, physiological and biological outcomes of clinical significance in patient care." (Eno was inspired by the nurse Florence Nightingale for the project.) A spokesperson for Eno told The Independent, he "hopes to make more hospital healing zones" and that other hospital-specific architects have "expressed particular interest in Brian's installations."