Nurses spend countless hours providing care to others. But sometimes that’s hard to see. This year for National Nurses Week, GE HealthCare is celebrating nurses everywhere by turning their hours into brushstrokes, to paint a detailed picture of what a nurse’s never-ending commitment to care actually looks like—in a way that’s never been expressed before.
BBDO New York partnered with Tim Okamura, a Japanese Canadian artist based in NYC known for his contemporary realist portraits, to bring this idea to life. Experiential partners Dot Dot Dash developed a customized frame that was composed of infrared lasers that were mounted on top of each canvas. Every time Okamura’s paint brush touched the surface breaking the path of the lasers it was recorded on the monitor beside the canvas.
Okamura helped visualize the “care data” of four different nurses, paying homage to their commitment with each stroke he painted. The number of brush strokes coincided with the many hours each nurse has selflessly given to patients.
And because a nurse’s work is never finished, neither are the paintings. Intentionally left incomplete, these “Canvases of Care” serve as a reminder and celebration of a nurse’s never-ending resilience, passion, and commitment to helping others.
This video shows us the painting reflecting the service and dedication of nurse Simone Hannah-Clark.
Rob Concepcion, creative director, BBDO NY, said, “Nurses dedicate so much time and energy to helping others. These unfinished paintings celebrate nurses’ never-ending commitment to care, and visualize that commitment in a way that feels tangible. Serving as a reminder how lucky we are to have them.”
Okamura observed, “I love the concept relating the brushstrokes to the number of hours that they’ve put in their career. It just really gives you a sense of how much work, how much dedication, just the commitment to care that each one of these nurses has put in.”
The artist added, “I feel empathy in all of their faces, and I just feel like I’m seeing some very kind people, like truly kind humans.”
CreditsClient GE Healthcare Agency BBDO New York Jon Chapman, chief creative officer, BBDO Health; Jess Rello, Rob Concepcion, creative directors; Sara Kway, jr. art director; Danah Fakhreddine, jr. copywriter; Enda Conway, head of connections strategy; Lucy Bennett, influencer lead; Ankit Mehra, strategic planner; James Young, EVP, director of interactive production; Philip Savage, interactive producer; Jasmine Batista, art producer; Kadin Herring, jr. interactive producer. Artist Tim Okamura Production Company BBDO Studios Kelly Matousek, director of BBDO Studios; Matt Brody, supervising producer; Hannah Squeglia, field producer; Greg Mezey, DP; Cathy Ellis, post producer. Technology Studio Dot Dot Dash Stu Kozlowski, executive director, business development; Adam Paikowsky, executive director technology; Steven Kasprzyk, business director; Danish Aziz, director of digital product; Madison Nouguier, project manager; Cody Steinfeld, jr. project manager.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More