Let's tackle social challenges through innovation with Epson!
Startup and Epson: Creating a hospital space that brings local people together through co-creation with a startup company
- YuBASE, the winning team of the HackTrek 2022 hackathon sponsored by Epson, and Epson decorated space and walls in Suwa Central Hospital (Chino, Nagano Prefecture) through participation-based hospital art.
- Transforming an unwelcoming space into a soothing and tranquil therapeutic environment brings people together by decorating the walls with printed digital art.
- Epson supported the two-month demonstration experiment by providing accompanying assistance, including lending various equipment, printing, and decoration.
Epson conducted a participation-based hospital art demonstration experiment from January to March 2023 together with YuBASE over approximately two months. This demonstration experiment aimed to create a hospital space that makes people want to visit the hospital more by forming connections with local people at Suwa Central Hospital. When decorating the hospital space with art, we had to think about the impact on people who have fallen ill and have various values regarding art. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, communication among hospital staff has decreased. We had to think about how to take care of that. This article presents this example of participation-based hospital art co-created with YuBASE.
■ Mr. Aira Sakajiri (Second from left)
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), YuBASE, Inc.
■ Mr. Takashi Irita (Far left)
Chief Technology Officer (CTO), YuBASE, Inc.
■ Ms. Misuzu Noma (Third from left)
Creator
■ Mr. Toru Yoshizawa (Third from right)
Director, Suwa Central Hospital
■ Mr. Junji Doi (Second from right)
Medical Affairs Section, Suwa Central Hospital
■ Interviewer: Tomoyuki Kurata (Far right)
P Strategic Planning Department, Seiko Epson Corporation
*We have omitted honorifics in the text of this article.
YuBASE won the Epson sponsored "HackTrek 2022" held in March 2022*. Following HackTrek 2022, YuBASE started their business. Epson has begun assisting YuBASE by supporting its go-to-market plan.
*Click here for the event report. YuBASE participated in HackTrek 2022 under the team name ATATA!
YuBASE created the AnyPalette electronic commerce site as a B-to-C business and launched it at the end of September 2022. This site is a marketplace where creators can sell their pieces as interior items while users can freely buy those pieces. Connecting creators and buyers maximize creators' growth and their pieces potential.
Kurata: Please tell us your thoughts behind AnyPalette.
Sakajiri: Both Takashi Irita and I have previously worked as creators. We want to change the structure, which does not provide rewards even if creators work hard. We want to create a mechanism to enable creators to sustainably and continuously express themselves. The feelings created as works are challenging to reach people. We feel the anguish of those creators that their works of art do not reach people due to a lack of name recognition and ability to get their message across. It would be great if creators became known by people when taking action with a desire to do something, leading to creators and fans becoming connected. We put those aspirations into AnyPalette.
To relieve the anxiety and tension of those using the hospital. Conducting a participation-based hospital art demonstration experiment at Suwa Central Hospital.
Having been exploring B2B business in addition to its AnyPalette B2C business, YuBASE decided to conduct a demonstration experiment to solve issues faced by hospitals with participation-based hospital art*. YuBASE conducted this experiment at Suwa Central Hospital, with whom Epson has worked together in regional co-creation.
*This is a project to create art spaces using walls in hospitals. It has been running for nearly 20 years in Europe and America.
The concern of the hospital (customer) was to relieve the anxiety and tension of those using the hospital. YuBASE attempted to verify the value of creating a soothing and tranquil space by bringing together various people, including local residents, through participation-based art and transforming an unwelcoming space into a friendly therapeutic environment.
The process involved doctors discussing the feelings to be put into the space with other hospital staff members through a roundtable discussion. The company then selected suitable creators registered on AnyPalette based on the content of those discussions. It received design proposals from four creators in a competition. As a result, the "Meguri Tsunagaru Watashi no Niwa (My Garden Connecting Me to My Surroundings)" piece by the artist Misuzu Noma was selected.
Misuzu Noma's enhanced her piece by having participants affix stickers of colored flowers and insects onto the art she had drawn. Approximately 80 people, from children to the elderly, participated in the sticker-making workshop.
Epson collaboration: This initiative was about creating experiences in anticipation of the future of the startup company
It's about creating experiences for the future of startups
Epson provided support in the areas where YuBASE needed more expertise directly after the startup company was established. We devised ways of providing that support. For example, Epson built a relationship with the hospital and created a mechanism for this experiment. After that, we presented the process to YuBASE to set up an environment for the company to learn about the workflow up to the experiment.
In addition, we asked YuBASE to negotiate with the contractor and to place an order for the piece of art to be printed and affixed to the wall. We aimed to give experience looking ahead to the future of YuBASE. We wanted them to learn all the knowledge that can only be obtained from experience, such as the critical points in negotiations, even if it is difficult.
Kurata: How was Epson's accompanying assistance?
Sakajiri: I can honestly say that we are genuinely grateful for Epson's assistance. You held weekly meetings with us, a newly launched company, and filled in the gaps we were missing. You gave us such tremendous support that we were even worried you had ulterior motives.
Irita: The main thing is that we could develop a relationship with Epson in which we could speak candidly. I still remember when Epson understood our innermost thoughts and approached us even though we could not say anything from our standpoint. You respected us, and you assisted us with an attitude of wanting to back us. That is why we could freely talk with Epson about our ideas involving Epson's printing technologies.
The feelings of people are wholeheartedly given shape at the hands of creators.
Sakajiri: Creators take inspiration from the words and expressions of those who need art. They then incorporate that inspiration into their pieces. Preserving feelings as a kind of symbol that cannot be attained with words alone is possible. The participation-based hospital art demonstration experiment at Suwa Central Hospital, with accompanying assistance provided by Epson, is truly an example. In particular, this participation-based hospital art had the purpose of soothing the minds of medical workers suffering from dealing with COVID-19 in addition to converting an unwelcoming space into a friendly therapeutic space.
"I'm glad we tried it!"
Sakajiri: If you actually try standing in the decorated space, something like a sixth sense will be stimulated. It is honestly amazing. I was impressed by the splendor of the bold transformation of this space.
We also received positive feedback from those who participated in the workshop: "It was fun to give the stickers color with the doctor." "I'm glad I had this opportunity." "I felt a warm feeling for the first time in a long time." "The hallway has become brighter." The participants could feel the significance of the large decoration using art and stickers.
Suwa Central Hospital highly praised the participation-based hospital art. It gave us the following comment: "Our hospital has become a friendlier place for the community. We are delighted with the piece's quality level, which was beyond our imagination." That means we obtained good results.
What value cannot be replaced by AI? What we realized because we work in the digital industry.
"Virtue of Realness"
Sakajiri: The most valuable thing through this one-year initiative was the "virtue of realness." Since I work in the digital industry, I can work from anywhere and deliver completed pieces as long as I have a PC. It takes little time for me to finish my pieces. There are difficulties when you leave the digital world and do something in the real world. However, the tactile feel of the finished piece and having this real experience have a value that cannot be substituted in the digital world.
Irita: I felt the impact of reality through the hospital art. Because we are in an era where AI (artificial intelligence) can do so many things, I felt a special feeling and a special time that could only be had there. I realized that this is one great value of this initiative.
Sakajiri: We work in the digital industry. Therefore, we would like to continue collaborating and creating value with Epson.
Kurata: What the two employees from YuBASE had in common was the kind words they expressed in saying they want to work with us at Epson again in the future.
We will continue supporting YuBASE as it takes on new challenges.
YuBASE: https://yubase.co.jp/
AnyPalette: https://any-palette.com/
Date of interview: May 2023
Note: The organization names, affiliations, titles, and interview contents contained in this article are all those at the time of the interview.