The Best Work You May Never See: Artist Tim Okamura, BBDO NY, GE Healthcare Paint “Canvases of Care” For National Nurses Week
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Robert Goldrich2512 views
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.”
Client 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.