At Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre’s (RVH) Hudson Regional Cancer Centre, waiting can be filled with uncertainty and worry as patients navigate appointments, treatments and test results. But now, these moments sound different. A new installation, blending art and nature, fills the space with calm and comfort.
Between Leaf & Light is a 43-minute immersive soundscape created specifically for RVH by artist Scott Rogers and the curatorial collective CMBT (Co-conspiracy Means (to) Breathe Together), a group of artists who are also cancer patients. Installed in one of the centre’s busiest waiting areas, the piece weaves together layered field recordings of birdsong, creating a gentle listening experience.
“Art in a hospital is about caring for the mind, body and spirit,” says Gail Hunt, RVH President and CEO. “Our patients and their families deserve spaces that offer comfort, a place to pause, a moment to breathe, and the opportunity to support one another.”
The composition uses open-source bird recordings native to the same time zone as RVH, spanning from Peru to northern Ontario and Québec. It brings together resident, migratory and tropical species in a collective soundscape that is both grounding and uplifting, easing the emotional weight that many patients and their loved ones carry.
From the start, the project was shaped by a deep, personal understanding of the cancer patient experience. CMBT is comprised of Kara Hamilton, Patricia Ritacca and Yan Wu, all of whom are both cancer patients and arts professionals. Having navigated diagnosis and treatment themselves, they are united in the belief that art can communicate, heal and transform, creating environments where we can all be in harmony together.
“As cancer patients ourselves, our curatorial team has spent many hours in clinical spaces—often waiting, often anxious,” says Yan Wu. “This inaugural project grew from a desire to shift that experience—not to escape it, but to reimagine it. We see art as a kind of inspirational distraction, something that can gently interrupt the passive rhythms of treatment with moments of curiosity, agency, or wonder. RVH felt like a natural partner—not only because of its vibrant cancer centre, but also because of its visionary approach to integrating art throughout the hospital. Their commitment to thoughtful, even transformative art in clinical spaces inspired us to push what art in healthcare can be.”
Between Leaf & Light was made possible thanks to the generous support of the City of Barrie, and the contributions of longtime RVH patient Tracey Barker, whose voice, story and presence carried the project from vision to reality.
“Tracey’s support and insight helped bring this installation to life,” says Frances Thomas, RVH’s Senior Art Curator. “She believed in the power of this project, and before she passed away, she was able to experience the first moment the waiting room was filled with birdsong.”
Each year, RVH’s Cancer Centre sees more than 146,000 visits, each one a part of a deeply personal journey. The installation reflects RVH’s ongoing mission to reimagine and transform the care experience for all patients, not just clinically, but emotionally and spiritually as well.
“At RVH, we don’t just want to treat people — we want to care for them,” says Hunt. “That means being bold enough to try new things, creative enough to imagine what’s possible, and compassionate enough to centre everything we do around the lived experiences of our patients and teams.”
Between Leaf & Light will continue to fill the cancer centre’s waiting room with birdsong through to the fall. As the first installation of its kind, RVH has been gathering feedback—and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. More than 80 patients and caregivers have completed surveys, many expressing with heartfelt enthusiasm that the soundscape is delivering precisely what it was intended to. It’s the team’s hope that this pioneering project will inspire similar initiatives in cancer centres across the province, and the country.
In honour of the patients and families who use the space, members of the public are asked not to visit the waiting area directly. Instead, a video about the installation — featuring clips of the audio, behind-the-scenes reflections from the artist and curatorial team, and the late Tracey Barker — is available on RVH’s website:https://www.rvh.on.ca/about-rvh/artrvh/.
 Hudson Regional Cancer Centre, waiting can be filled with uncertainty and worry as patients navigate appointments, treatments and test results. But now, these moments sound different. A new installation, blending art and nature, fills the space with calm and comfort.){kind=link}