Bedlam now on open display

This week, I heard the story of a mother whose son had been conscripted to Afghanistan with the Territorial Army. One of her anecdotes which particularly touched me was that of her son asking her to send, along with protein bars and practical sundries, a colouring-in book. She told of how, in a quiet moment, his commanding officer had given him advice about how to stay within the lines - a wonderful cameo of simplicity and humanity in a world gone mad around them.

Perhaps this incident gives a clue as to the potential role of making art, no matter how rudimentary, for those trapped in a mental war zone.

This week, a new £4m gallery and museum, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, opened up at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London (pictured above), the world's oldest psychiatric institution. Formerly known as Bedlam, Bethlem has been treating patients with mental illness for almost eight hundred years.

Over that time, it has acquired a large collection of art and artefacts, many of them created by patients, and it is this body of work which has just gone on display. The collection itself dates back to the sixteenth century, making it the oldest archive of objects related to mental health in the world.

As one of the former patients acknowledges in a short promotional video put together by the BBC, creating art helped him to express the darkness he felt inside, while at the same time providing liberation from the strictures and disciplines of being in the clinical environment. He speaks of how the experience helped him to communicate what was happening for him and the great extent to which it contributed to his recovery.

The collection now on display is significant, bringing together the work of patients from Bethlem, The Maudsley and other psychiatric institutions.

Some artists, such as Richard Dadd, who was painting during the reign of Queen Victoria, have achieved international acclaim, while some of the exhibits, such as a pair of seventeenth century statues entitled 'Raving and Melancholy Madness' by an artist named Caius Cibber are of historical significance as former major London landmarks.

Victoria Northwood, Head of Archives and Museum, hopes that the current exhibition will help stimulate debate among visitors and lead to a better understanding of the lives of those living with mental illness. We echo that aspiration. And if you decide to visit, you'll be able to enjoy world class works of art and learn more about the history of mental health through the museum's unique archive.

Do you have experience of working with art in patients with mental illness? Or have you, perhaps, been helped by art in making a recovery from mental illness? We welcome all contributions on this fascinating topic. And do consider visiting Bedlam.


Written by Jacqui Hogan

Get to the art of mental health

There's nothing more satisfying than allowing that inner child to let rip with a fist full of crayons and a blank sheet of paper. That's my opinion, anyway. And members of the York community seem to be of a similar mind. They've decided to set up a new art and crafts group specifically for people with mental health problems, which will meet from 11 September.

Sarah-Jane McKenzie and her art teacher sister, Helen, are masterminding the project and their aim is for the artworks created to be sold on a stall in the refurbished York market, once a month.

Sarah-Jane knows, from personal experience, just how isolating mental health difficulties can be. She hopes to create a forum in which people can reach out to others and come to understand that they are not the only ones who suffer. She explains:

"Because the group is aimed at people with mental health problems (or people who have in the past experienced them) we won't feel any need to pretend or put on an act, or hide the details of problems we've had..."

She maintains that encouraging participants to make art and craft will, itself, prove therapeutic and promote renewed inspiration and motivation for those whose lives have been disrupted by mental ill health.

Some formal instruction will be given, but participants will be encouraged to bring their own projects and ideas and to shape the direction the group takes. Any money made on the York market stall will be ploughed back into funding for more materials, and any excess over and above this will be shared among the group. (More detail and contact information here.)

There has been growing interest in arts-in-health initiatives where 'the creative process' is seen to have therapeutic value in promoting wellbeing. The UK Mental Health Foundation claims on its website:

"International and UK research has found that many people with mental health problems find arts therapies helpful, either on their own or as part of a range of therapies, which may include medication and talking treatments."

Have you worked with arts-in-health initiatives? How successful have they been? Whether you're a therapist or someone with experience as a patient, do post your comments - we'd love to hear from you.

Written by Jacqui Hogan

The value of art in expanding our minds

Sculpture by Mary Hecht

You may have noticed there's a lot of emphasis on science thesedays, but a recent study by neurophysicians at the Memory Clinic at St Michael's Hospital in Toronto demonstrates the value, endurance and mysterious role of art in enriching human lives.

The lead author, Dr Luis Fornazzari, reports the case of Mary Hecht, an internationally renowned sculptor who died in April 2013 with vascular dementia, whom he cites as "a remarkable example of how artistic abilities are preserved in spite of degeneration of the brain and a loss in the more mundane, day-to-day memory functions."

Because of her neurological condition, Hecht had lost the ability to conduct a normal conversation, remember words she was asked to recall and even illustrate the time on a clock. But to the astonishment of Dr Fornazzari and his team, she was able to quickly sketch an accurate portrait of of a research student from the Clinic, as well as other people and objects from memory. While drawing, she was able to speak eloquently and without hesitation, in contrast to her prevailing level of functionality.

This shows, at the very least, the unique terrain occupied by art in our brains and Dr Fornazzari concludes that "art should be taught to everyone. It's better than many medications and is as important as mathematics and history."

For those of us who have friends or loved ones with vascular dementia, this work offers hope, in that so often, activities which once gave pleasure, like cooking or gardening or basic activities of daily living, can no longer be undertaken. Could it be that providing them with paper and pencils and painting sets may open the window to freedom and joy, even if for a limited time? It is possible Hecht's extraordinary talent may have been part of the key, but it's certainly worth a try.

No matter how alluring the promises of a life filled with logic and scientific discovery, we dismiss the value of art at our peril. In all its forms, it points to a place where there are no easy answers, touching upon states which we can only feel and barely describe. Our brain is a brain of two halves - let's not succumb to the seductive temptations of a life lived on one side.

Written by Jacqui Hogan