Global immersive technology company collaborates with Teapot Trust to create cutting edge VR experience
An exciting collaboration between Edify and Teapot Trust will bring to life the transformative power of art therapy through virtual reality and a fantasy garden.
The partnership between the East Lothian charity and the immersive technology company, with headquarters in both Glasgow and Abu Dhabi, comes as Teapot Trust prepares to host a show garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Teapot Trust is a charity at the forefront of transformative mental health support that provides art therapy to children, young people and their families living with chronic conditions.
The Elsewhere Garden, designed by Scottish Swiss partnership SempleBegg, will showcase at the prestigious gardening event in May this year. The garden represents a child’s imagination as it blossoms in response to the freedom gifted by art therapy and is inspired by Willy Wonka’s factory, Oz and Wonderland.
Edify, a leading-edge tech company that builds innovative immersive technology platforms for learning and teaching is donating its time to the charity to create a virtual reality experience of the garden.
This ground-breaking technology will provide a completely new context for art therapy where children and art therapists can connect, create, and explore in a digital realm. The impact will be far reaching, enabling increased access by overcoming geographical and physical barriers.
By bringing the garden to children (like those in a ward) who cannot physically leave hospital to explore outdoors, it will help them experience the world around them in a new way while introducing vital art therapy themes like increased communication, relaxation techniques, and mental coping mechanisms.
Fergus Bruce, Senior Director at Edify said: “Central to Edify’s mission is making the ‘go anywhere, do anything’ superpowers of immersive technology accessible as widely as possible.
“With that in mind, we’re delighted to support the Teapot Trust and the vital work they do by ensuring that the ‘Elsewhere Garden’ can be experienced far beyond RHS Chelsea. We’ll do this by utilising both the Edify platform and the skill of our team to create a virtual experience of the actual garden which keeps its magic accessible and growing long after the event itself.”
Edify and Teapot Trust were introduced through the Scottish Tech Army, a unique volunteer community bringing together tech experts and the third sector for the benefit of people and communities.
Kirsty McIntosh of Scottish Tech Army added: “We are delighted to bring the Teapot Trust and Edify together.
“This is a great example of the tech for good ecosystem in action and we are excited to see how this collaboration will support the aims of the charity.”
Sarah Randall, CEO of Teapot Trust said: “The Elsewhere Garden has been created with the most incredible amount of passion, love and nurture so the ability to bring this to life in a virtual reality world to benefit thousands of children and young people who won’t experience the garden in real life is a wonderful opportunity.
“The Edify platform will enable art therapists to join and guide children in a virtual experience while also giving the potential for children within an art therapy group to interact with each other within the digital garden. This is a tremendous asset to have, which is down to the overwhelming generosity and creativity which Edify has brought to the project.”
Art therapy techniques will be incorporated into the experience, with specific plants, views, and sensations being central to art therapy exercises and themes. This safe and controlled experience will help children grow confidence to navigate tech and tech-enabled learning in a fun, playful, and imaginative immersive experience, boosting their confidence and helping them understand that they can overcome barriers in their own lives.
One in four children and young people in the UK live with the pain and stigma of chronic health conditions that cause anxiety and depression. Almost a third of those aged under 21 who take their own lives have a long-term chronic illness.
The charity’s art therapy gives children and young people a release from the burdens of chronic illness allowing them to take some control, to express and process their feelings about their diagnosis, their treatment regime, and the impact of their condition on daily life.