Winter Anti Depression Show

Curators: Chris Kabel and Valentijn Byvanck

Others neglect family and friends. Many go looking for sunny destinations, subtropical islands or the solarium. Opinions on the causes of winter depression differ. What is certain is that our metabolism adjusts to when it’s cold outside and the days are shorter. We have a slower pace and our senses miss stimuli. It’s a state that harks back to hibernation. Science and industry view the lack of sunlight as the culprit and stress the importance of light therapy. Dutch hospitals have special rooms for this therapy. With the help of ingenious wake-up lamps, Philips ensures people can alleviate their winter blues at home as well.

The emphasis on light can make us forget that our other senses also fall short of stimulation in the winter. We miss the scent of flowers and plants, the feeling of bare feet in the sand, the sound of crickets in the summer.
For the Winter Anti Depression Show, Marres invited a team of designers and artists to create a house that immerses visitors in a variety of sensory experiences. They turned Marres temporarily into an Art Resort.