The Croatian Association of Fine Artists (HDLU) invites media representatives, professional audiences, and interested visitors to the presentation of the results of the international project Healing Nature – Animation for Health and Well-being in Children’s Hospital Environments, which will take place on Monday, 15 June 2026 at 12:00 in the conference hall of the Children’s Hospital Zagreb.

The Healing Nature project connects contemporary art, animation, and augmented reality (AR) technology with the aim of creating a more pleasant, stimulating, and emotionally supportive hospital environment for children, their families, and medical staff. Over the past two years in Croatia, Portugal, and Bulgaria, murals, animations, AR content, workshops with children, and research tools have been developed, together forming a unique model for the application of art in healthcare environments.

At the conference, the results of the international partners will first be presented. The Portuguese partner, Universidade Lusófona / COFAC, will present the mural “Spring Breeze”, by artist Natalie Woolf, inspired by spring landscapes, watercolor depictions of plants, and calming natural motifs. Alongside the artistic concept, the development of the animation content by the Portuguese team, led by Pedro Serrazina, will also be presented, as well as the process of integrating animation into the augmented reality system. The mural has been installed in hospitals in Portugal, Croatia, and Bulgaria, and in the Children’s Hospital Zagreb it is located on the 2nd floor.

Following this, partners from New Bulgarian University will present the mural “The Lilies and the White Pond”, by Lidija Cvetkova and Evgenia Stoitseva, inspired by fairy-tale imagery and symbolism of peace, hope, and continuity. Activities of the Bulgarian animation team, working under the mentorship of Sevina Ivanova, will also be presented, with participation from animators Evgenia Stoitseva, Daria Ruseva, Boryana Angelova, Nelina Petkova, and Lyudmila Vasileva, as well as other project activities carried out in Bulgaria. The mural has been installed in all three partner countries, while in the Children’s Hospital Zagreb it is located on the 3rd floor.

The Croatian part of the project will be presented by project author Melinda Šefčić, who, together with Lea Vidaković, developed the Healing Nature concept as a continuation of her earlier artistic and research projects in hospital environments. Special emphasis will be placed on the mural “Forest of Small Wonders”, by Melinda Šefčić, created in collaboration with children from the House of St. Francis of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Zagreb in Vugrovec, SOS Children’s Village Lekenik, the Krijesnice Kindergarten, and Ivan Gundulić Primary School. Children’s drawings of animals, plants, and fantastical beings became an integral part of a layered forest composition that now enriches the spaces of the Children’s Hospital Zagreb and the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology of the Oncology Clinic at the Sisters of Mercy University Hospital Centre, as well as partner hospitals in Portugal and Bulgaria.

The animation and augmented reality development process will be presented by Katrin Novaković and Matea Kovač. The Croatian animation team included Lea Vidaković, Katrin Novaković, João Miguel Real, and Matea Kovač, and the animations were created based on children’s drawings developed during workshops. In addition to 2D digital animation, a segment of stop-motion animation was developed using handcrafted puppets inspired by the children’s artworks. The implementation of animation content into the augmented reality system developed on the Artivive platform was led by Matea Kovač.

After the official program, participants will have the opportunity to join a guided tour of the hospital, during which they will view the installed murals and experience live augmented reality content that allows mural elements to come to life, animate, and become part of an interactive experience.

For more information about the project: Healing Nature

Within the project:

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

[Project Number: 101173267]

Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.

Co-funded by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Republic of Croatia. The views expressed in this release are the sole responsibility of the Croatian Association of Fine Artists and do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Republic of Croatia.