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- Volume 7, Issue 1, 2016
Journal of Applied Arts & Health - Volume 7, Issue 1, 2016
Volume 7, Issue 1, 2016
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A landscape of art-based therapeutic practices in Iran
Authors: Theresa Van Lith, Lindsay Bullock, Elahe Rahimian and Kaveh MoghaddamAbstractThis article examines a number of factors that influence how the use of art for mental health is practised in Iran. Historical and cultural causes as well as political upheaval, economic downturn, and scepticism of western values have meant that mental health services cater only to a small population. As a result, these issues have created disparate attitudes towards the role of art as a therapeutic means of healing. While art therapy is seen as a relatively new profession, art therapists in Iran have been striving to make it an impactful modality for treating mental health issues. This article demonstrates how western models of art-based practices have been applied with children in Iran. It concludes by highlighting the need for more culturally sensitive models of art-based therapeutic practices that serve to work with the existing cultures and beliefs of the Iranian people.
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Evaluation of arts-based interventions to improve awareness of selected hygiene and sanitation issues in slums of Ahmedabad, India
Authors: Mayur Trivedi and Minjan PatelAbstractSlum dwellers have limited access to various services that form the foundation of good health. Thus, there is a need to improve their awareness of health and hygiene issues. This article is based on an assessment of arts-based participatory theatre interventions that aimed at improving health awareness among the slum dwellers of Ahmedabad. A two-phase quasi-experimental research involved measuring the target population’s knowledge ‘before’ the interventions of a pre-determined set of seven performances and repeating the same measurement ‘after’ it. The measurement involved surveys of 600 slum dwellers in two slums, one of which received interventions. An improvement was observed in knowledge pertaining to reasons for illnesses, as well as knowledge about safe drinking water and mosquito-breeding sites. The health campaign showed statistically significant improvement among sources of information for the benefits of hand washing and mosquito control. The three parameters of sources of information also point to ‘health campaign’ by a nongovernmental organization (NGO). This further endorses the effectiveness of the interventions. This research is a contribution in response to the growing need for evidence of the impact of performing arts on public health. Based on positive results, it is recommended that such efforts can be scaled up for health education and awareness purposes.
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The gallery as therapeutic venue: Exploring visitor perceptions in a contemporary art space
Authors: Victoria Tischler, Laura J. Carone and Jiten MistryAbstractThis prospective qualitative study explored the social and psychological impact of an exhibition at a contemporary art gallery. Three focus groups, including eight people aged 45–69, were held following a guided tour of an exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary gallery. The exhibition ‘Uneven Geographies’ featured the work of a variety of international artists focusing upon the politics of globalization through different media including film, installation and photography. Focus group transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase model of thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: (1) ‘It’s almost like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle’, (2) Interpreting the message and (3) Dissolving social barriers. Results indicated that the exhibition facilitated sense-making, that art interpretation was used as an educational tool, and attending the gallery promoted social inclusion. These findings confirm the potential of cultural institutions, to promote education, health and wellbeing at individual and societal levels.
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Re-stitching and strengthening community: Three global examples of how doll-making translates into well-being in Indigenous cultures
Authors: Sujane Kandasamy, Sonia Anand, Gita Wahi, Kate Wells, Kirsty Pringle, Loretta Weatherall, Lyniece Keogh, Jessica Bailey and Kym RaeAbstractTraditional doll-making has important meanings that translate into personal and communal identity. As one of the earliest discovered play artefacts, dolls are deeply intertwined with symbolic meanings around spirituality, rituals, familial histories and communal traditions. These values are especially important in Indigenous groups where health and well-being pivots on the preservation of cultural heritage. This article develops the theory on the well-being functions of doll-making through the exploration of three different practices in Indigenous cultures across the globe. We explore the Gomeroi Yarning dolls (Australia), Six Nations Cornhusk dolls (Canada) and Siyazama Zulu dolls (South Africa) to show that, through building the expression of local community-level identity, these dolls support Indigenous world-views around well-being. Specifically, the Gomeroi Yarning dolls encourage the sharing of oral personal narratives, the Six Nations Cornhusk dolls promote the transmission of cultural teachings, and the Siyazama Zulu dolls create community support networks through locally relevant HIV/AIDS awareness. As a result, local Indigenous communities are strengthened through the space that is created for a healing process, capacity building for problem-solving, and the reclaiming of Indigenous identity. All of these factors are important steps for moving forward from the silence, dealing with trauma and difficult situations, and thus transforming pain and grief through cross-cultural communication.
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Exploring the uniqueness of congenital heart disease: An interdisciplinary conversation
AbstractAn arts workshop investigated the process of communicating the notion of uniqueness with young people with congenital heart disease (CHD) and whether threedimensional (3D) visualization could be more effective than two-dimensional (2D) visualization for elaborating CHD anatomy and increasing awareness. Young people with CHD (n=7, 14–18 years old) were invited to a workshop by a multidisciplinary team (a visual artist, a bioengineer, two psychologists and an adolescent clinical nurse specialist). The artist guided the participants through self-portrait exercises, creative writing, painting a body map, discussions and reflections. Participants also discussed a range of 3D-printed heart models. Participants unanimously agreed that a 3D-sculpted self-portrait form was more immediate than a 2D portrait form for representing themselves. Body maps provided insight into their inner landscape. In discussing 3D heart models, different preferences emerged, at times contrasting or even opposed. The quality of engagement was excellent throughout. An interdisciplinary approach can be successfully used to explore the potentially sensitive theme of uniqueness in CHD.
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The arts and health: Moving beyond traditional medicine
Authors: Stefanie Fleischer and Mary GrehanAbstractThis article gathers evidence on the beneficial effects of the arts on health, health care and well-being. This was done by means of a review of research conducted in Ireland, the UK, Canada and Australia, dating from 1999 to 2014. The research outcomes are summarized and presented in sections on general health, older people and health care staff. A short section on ‘social prescribing’ and its increased use in primary health care is included in the section on mental health. In all sectors it was found that there are beneficial effects, especially for relieving stress and improving socialization. This review also includes the problems encountered in the research methodologies, as well as recommendations from researchers for future arts and health projects.
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Life, death and transformation: Keep moving
Authors: Fulya Kurter, Elcin Bicer, Elyan Aysoy and Ilene SerlinAbstractThis article demonstrates the use of a new method of group work in dance movement therapy. The approach is existential/depth, and the major themes of confrontation with mortality, freedom and fate, death and rebirth are explored in movement. The benefits of this approach are seen in how these themes illuminate group process, through a small group improvisation and performance, and the way in which it helped participants understand and cope with a subsequent earthquake in Turkey. This article is co-written by a small group and their teacher, and aimed at helping therapists and creative art therapists understand the use of an existential/depth approach to group psychotherapy.
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Interview with Robert J. Landy
More LessAbstractIn this article, the author speaks with drama therapy pioneer, Dr Robert J. Landy, to discuss his experience in the drama therapy field over the past 30 years and the legacy he hopes to leave as he prepares to retire from academia.
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Reviews
Authors: Brittany Johnston and Fiona ChangAbstractMindfulness and the Arts Therapies: Theory And Practice, Laury Rappaport (ed.) (2013) London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 352 pp., ISBN: 9781849059091, p/bk, $29.95
Unfolding Reflection from the Flowing Tao of Expressive Arts – The 11th International Expressive Arts Therapy Association Conference, Hong Kong, People’s Republic Of China, 6–10 October 2015
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