S.A.D. Park was the world’s first park created for people with seasonal affective disorder to relieve their suffering and publicly recognize their common struggles. Located in Portland Oregon, in the heart of the notoriously grey and rainy Pacific Northwest, S.A.D Park was designed to ease one of the most prevalent mood disorders in our society.
In the 21st century, mental health disorders were being diagnosed at increasing rates and were known to be a public health crisis, and yet we primarily expected people to bear and treat these illnesses privately. This park reestablished the social and civic function of public spaces by transforming a center city park into a site that mitigated this epidemic public health issue in a supportive, fun, de-stigmatizing collective atmosphere.
S.A.D. Park featured healing levels of bright lighting, botanical landscape design, sculptural features, sound-scapes, and aromatherapy to address and alleviate S.A.D. symptoms through multiple modalities simultaneously. The park also offered group classes and activities to support people learning ways to live with and overcome their mood disorders.
S.A.D. Park was conceived by artists Ralph Pugay and Ariana Jacob. Both artists manifested SAD Park as an experiential model for how to reorient our culture away from privatized suffering and towards public, collective solutions.