For the Winter Anti Depression Show (WADS), Marres was turned into an art resort for those who feel weak, tired, overwrought and unsocial in the winter months. The resort featured a series of therapeutic rooms, planned and executed by artists and designers to boost the senses. Accompanied by gentle hosts, visitors walked over ribbed floors, felt summer flowers, let the sun caress their skin, dreamed in a sonic bed, composed sound landscapes, relaxed with St John’s wort tea, and improved their condition through motion play.

Ludmila was invited to create a ‘Room for Movement’, a space where the guided groups would stretch, balance and connect to each other, through a ‘soft’ net of elastics and rope. This orchestrated interaction also generates a social domain, where one feels and influences one another.

WADS is a prototype for a new, innovative connection between healthcare and culture. The project opened up a new perspective on the social function and role of art institutions. It was not only an attractive pastime for a broad audience, or an alternative therapeutic facility, but also a playful testing ground for the non-medical treatment of complex health care problems.

Initiated and curated by Valentijn Byvanck (artistic director at Marres, Maastricht) and Chris Kabel, the Winter Anti Depression Show was a collaborative project with artists and designers, from January 18th to March 23rd, 2014. Featuring: Chris Kabel, food designer Katja Gruijters, scenographer Ludmila Rodrigues, artist/composer Kaffe Matthews, ‘Pioneers of Play’ Fourcelabs, perfume maker Alessandro Gualtieri, artists Thierry Mandon, Lisa Pacini and Christine Istad. Photos by Gert Jan van Rooij. Read more on: www.marres.org