Art as Therapy

Containment – Designating a Space to Work

A few weeks ago I remember seeing an artwork made by another student as part of our process group, an assemblage of different materials painted prominently in the colours pink, blue and gold. To anyone else this particular artwork may have seemed fairly innocuous, although as part of our discussion afterwards I found myself staring at this work intently; even more so than my own artwork. There was something about it that made me feel very uneasy although I couldn’t underpin why. In the weeks that followed I continued to reflect upon this and the way in which artworks can evoke such strong personal responses within the viewer even when the origin of these feelings is uncertain or hidden. Incidentally; in the context of the process group, even the person who’d made the artwork exclaimed her own discomfort in what she’d made – going as far as to distance her self from it or wanting to destroy it altogether! As such in thinking about artwork made within a therapeutic setting I was prompted to think about ideas of containment.

In art psychotherapy, the term ‘containment’ stems from the writing of psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion. The concept refers to the way in which internalized thoughts and feelings might be projected outwards into the space of the container.

‘From very early in life we are intimately aware of our bodies as containers into which we put things and out of which other things materialize. We also experience the physical environment as something by which we are surrounded and from which we can emerge. We move in and out of rooms, clothes, relationships, jobs and other kinds of bounded spaces…. In art therapy, the art therapist, studio and available art materials may also assume this containing function…’

(Edwards, 2004:47)

Within my own art practice this notion of containment and boundaries is particularly relevant to the physical space in which I make and reflect upon my artwork. Since being on the MA course I’ve seen my own art practice move in a myriad of different directions; showing a renewed interest in the immediacy of drawing and object-making in favor of my preferred medium of video. Furthermore in being on the course I am more keenly aware of the personal drives that inform my work and how certain artworks might evoke powerful thoughts and feelings within me personally. Whilst the process of making might be a cathartic one, oppositely the production of an artwork might be an inadvertent reminder of painful or traumatic experiences.

With this in mind, I started to consider the affects of working from home where I’m effectively ‘living’ with the things that I make. Whilst this had become a staple way of working for a number of years, the introspective nature of my course has thrown all these things open to question.

In January of this upcoming year I’m hoping to transfer a lot of my artwork from home into a separate studio space at Gallery@49 based in Bracknell (http://www.reorsa.org/). Primarily this decision had been a practical one as space at home was limited and this in turn was placing a restriction on how I went about making art. However an equally pressing issue was that in sharing a space (i.e. my bedroom) with these art images and objects, I was beginning to feel claustrophobic and hampered creatively. Increasingly it felt as though I needed a space that was distinct from my pokey little bedroom which was fast becoming a mausoleum of unresolved artworks. As a result I hope this new studio environment will fulfill this containing function; providing a designated space in which thoughts and ideas that pertain to art making can; to some extent, be set apart from other facets of my day-to-day life.

References:

Edwards, D., (2004), Art Therapy, London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Art as Therapy or Art in Therapy? (Part 1/2)

It’s seems like an age since my last post, particularly as I’ve been reading up on how others are getting on through their blogs. For instance, in reading Kate Murdoch’s blog on Keeping it Going, I’m reminded of how Projects unedited provides such a vital networking tool. Particularly when art making can sometimes feel like a rather odd and insular activity…. it’s helpful to have other creative thinkers around you as an encouragement, helping you to move your ideas along.

In regards to this blog, one of the things that has been on mind recently is trying to articulate how my experience of art making is a therapeutic experience as well as an artistic one. It’s quite a difficult thing to put into words….

Whenever I find myself trying to explain to others what art therapy is it’s always with some degree of trepidation and unease. Hence after speaking to Lee last month I found myself thinking a lot about how to differentiate art therapy from other artistic practices. I guess the real question is at what point does art making become therapeutic and how can these affects be quantified?

In considering the links between art and therapy it’s been useful to reflect upon the origins of art therapy and it’s affect on how it’s practiced today. In Art Therapy, David Edwards cites the artist Adrian Hill as being one of the first to acknowledge the therapeutic benefits of drawing and painting whilst he recovered from Tuberculosis (2004:1). For Hill, the value of art therapy was rooted in allowing the inhibited patient to become completely immersed in the art making process. He suggested that in participating in creative activities the patient would be able to build up a strong defense against unprecedented misfortunes (2004:1). Incidentally I was reminded of art making in this context when watching the Culture Show recently and discovering the work of Scottish figurative artist, John Bellany (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ny2y7 ). Like Hill, Bellany had been hospitalized in the 1980’s due to liver failure (a result of alcoholism). Although he worked prolifically throughout this time generating numerous drawings and paintings (often self portraits); adorning the walls of his hospital room as a visual record of his recovery. As such, both of these stories echo the cathartic affects of art making and how it can be used to make sense of difficult or traumatic experiences.

Art as Therapy or Art in Therapy? (part 2/2)

However Edwards is also keen to highlight the influence of psychoanalyst Margaret Nuamberg who’s own slant on art therapy; whilst different from Hill’s, is closer to the therapeutic model used today. By contrast Nuamberg’s model for art therapy is intrinsically connected to psychoanalytical theory, placing emphasis on releasing the unconscious by means of spontaneous artistic expression in which the images produced are a form of communication between the client and therapist (2004:1).

Essentially; Naumberg’s position might be described as championing the use of art in therapy, whereas Hill advocates art as therapy (2004:1). Whilst these differences seem minor, the altered wording of these terms represents an important distinction. The reason being that art as therapy endorses the potential of art to heal whilst art in therapy emphasizes the triangular relationship that exists between the art therapist, the client and the artwork. Subsequently within this triangular relationship the notion of healing or therapeutic change is not only restricted to the activity of art making, but can occur through the client-therapist relationship as well.

In overview these descriptions do help to differentiate art therapy as a practice in its own right. They also distinguish art therapy from other services that make use of art though not explicitly in a therapeutic way. As I continue to spend time on the course these ideals are being continually reaffirmed and are encouraging me to think about art therapy’s broader applications. However even as the practice becomes more widely recognized within sectors of the NHS, social services and education, they’ll always be a minority who’ll regard art therapy with some degree of skepticism. As Lee points out, ‘Some people have a really good understanding and that’s really exciting. Some people are open to knowing more about it and that’s cool. And some people, no matter how well you explain it, are not going to get it and maybe don’t want to get it either’ (Dee, 2012). Therin lies the challenge!

References:

Edwards, D., (2004), Art Therapy, London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Dee, R., (2012), Art as Therapy, Projects unedited, Posted: 25/10/12, Available at: www.a-n.co.uk/p/2422257/, (accessed 27.11.12)

Murdoch, K., (2012), Keeping it Going, Projects unedited, Posted: 26/11/12, Available at: www.a-n.co.uk/p/2295372/, (accessed 26.11.12)