This new Toronto sculpture has technology to make you less depressed

A new installation in Toronto is setting out to help you overcome your seasonal depression using some state-of-the-art technology.

If you feel yourself coming down with the winter blues year after year, you're not alone. The Canadian Psychological Association reports that up to 15 per cent of Canadians will experience some form of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in their lifetime.

Toronto is no exception to getting down in the dumps during the winter months — having experienced 28 sunless days in December and 26 in January, it would be no stretch to guess that many Toronto residents are struggling with low mood.

It's for that exact reason that the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area (DYBIA) is installing a new piece of interactive artwork that utilizes technology said to help with SAD symptoms.

"What we once shrugged off as the ‘February blahs’ we now recognize as a genuine mental health challenge for many people," says Cheryll Diego, Downtown Yonge’s Public Realm Experience Director, which inspired the installation.

The art piece, designed by TMU Architectural Science student Sam Hardwicke-Brown, doubles as a large-scale lamp that can offer light therapy said to be effective in staving off depressive symptoms associated with SAD.

"The SAM [Seasonal Affective Meditation] Lamp installation embraces you in light, offering at least a brief haven from winter stress," says Diego.

The installation will run from Feb. 9 to Feb. 27 in the 777 Bay Street Plaza, with additional installations expected to go up in the Downtown Yonge neighbourhood soon, too.