Fountain of Bimaristan al-Arguni

Single-channel video, 22:23
Commissioned as part of psychiatric care within sensory environments
TYKS Compass Hospital, Turku, Finland

Funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation

The work draws inspiration from the Bimaristan al-Arguni, a hospital for mental health founded in Aleppo, Syria, in 1354. There, patient rooms formed a circle around a central fountain, where musicians played and a garden flourished. In this flourishing Arab culture, healing was a multisensory experience: the gentle sound of water, birdsong, soft music, and the fragrance of flowers.
In this work, I sought to return viewers to that fountain. The piece unfolds through tactile encounters with plants and the sensation of water on the skin, inviting a bodily connection with the world around us.

The work was filmed at Arboretum du Haringot Normandy, Mustila Arboretum, the Turku Botanical Garden and in private gardens.