A Study On Public Art Intervention For Elderly’s Spiritual Needs In The Village Gerocomium

By looking up a great deal of related materials, conducting filed survey, in-depth case interview and observation, and case analysis research method, this research studied the status-quo of elders’ spiritual life demand and feasibility of public art’s intervention in elders’ spiritual life demand. The first part of this thesis discussed the concept, development, utilization and expression forms, elaborated the related concept of gerocomium, subdivision of elders group and concept of their spiritual demand. The second part, by combing the already-existing materials, conducted a field survey of Wuxi Xuelang Gerocomium, Taihu Pension Service Center(originally Dongjiang Gerocomium) from four aspects of elders’ spiritual life demand. By observing elders’ language and non-language behaviors and analyzing how Gerocomium satisfies elders’ spiritual life demand, it concluded that: the elders’ spiritual life demand lacks a sense of belonging;elders feel lonely; they are tried of repeated entertainment forms and hard to participate in entertainment activities; the lack the right of self-determination and have lower social status; their potential is neglected; and they have reduced social participation. And it came to a conclusion that the gerocomium and society fail to satisfy sufficient spiritual demand, which causes the spiritual life problem and thus provokes the thinking of intervention of public art. The third part discussed the feasibility of public art’s intervention in elders’ spiritual life demand, firstly pointed out that public art has the superiority to satisfy elders’ spiritual demand, and further verified the four functions of put art’s intervention in elders’ spiritual life demand by case study. Based on analyzing related cases, the fourth part put forward the principle for public art’s intervention in elders’ spiritual life demand; under the guidance of related principle, it discussed about design elements and intervention method of public art works creation and public art activity planning.This research aims to explore a low-cost, high-efficient mode, which, with the participation of elders, satisfies elders’ spiritual life demand in the form of public art, providing some theoretical basis and practice reference for public art’s intervention in elders’ spiritual life demand, showcasing the public art’s cultural connotation of serving the public, and enabling elders in the village gerocomium to obtain social equality and democratic rights in a higher spiritual height.