By Yannis Pantazidis
Today, in the age of digitalisation, more and more people are thinking about how to make their lives better. We see the presence of euphoria (well-being/wellness) in many actions, even the United Nations, dedicated the third Sustainable Development Goal to the “health and well-being” (Health and well-being)». But what can art have to do with it?;
Healing (the word means care and not necessarily a cure for a disease), through visual arts, dance and drama is directly related to improving the quality of life, especially in terms of mental health. This subject matter has gained quite a lot of ground supported by research and conferences. In this context and on the occasion of the above, under the auspices of the international organization “The Festival Academy” (my editing and coordination), the interactive seminar (webinar) entitled “Arts and Well-being”.
We will present the conclusions of the seminar, research from the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as places of Greece on this particular issue. At webinar “Arts and Life” was attended by people from four different continents who, based on their academic backgrounds as well as their empirical knowledge, presented their ideas, experience and knowledge on the above-mentioned topics.
Each art uses a different medium and way to achieve healing. The art process is considered the key to art therapy and relates to the process where, the materials and the way they are used are important and not the result of the art, as emphasized by the MA Art Therapist Chrysoula Plakioti. Sometimes this process results in the creation of a painting or a sculpture.
The different forms of art
In painting the result is the expression of colour, while in sculpture the result is the carving of the marble, in order to remove the unnecessary elements from the piece of material in order to give form to the amorphous, as mentioned by Dr. Dimitrios Pantazidis. In both of these arts a very important element is the use of hand tools of creation.
Sculpture in stone and marble includes, among other things, the externalisation of energy which is discharged with each stroke to form the material. Dance, another art form, uses as a tool of creation the same the human body. In dancing man acquires a better sense of his body, externalizes energy and connects better with his emotions, said the choreographer Diya Naidu from India.
The therapeutic contribution of art was known in Greece since antiquity, as Mr. Pantazidis pointed out. In the therapeutic centres of the time, the so-called Asclepias, there was a temple for spiritual exercise, a stage for physical training and a theatre for the mental exercise of the patients. In the healing arts we conclude that what is crucial is the “journey” of the process, while the final artwork is secondary.
Recently, the dance was very smoothly mixed with a scientific project, the “Feedback Loops”, which combines art and technology to inform and raise awareness of mental health issues among recipients, as the creator Ms. in psychological research methods, Alina Ivan from United Kingdom. A team of scientists from the Kings College London, created choreographies from the narratives of people with depression, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Mental health
The dancers were then connected to devices that collected data from their sweat, heartbeats and movements, and based on this data, music was generated. This data, with the help of a program, produced in live time the music that accompanied the choreography. Therefore, the dancers danced by creating the music at that particular moment. As Ms. Alina pointed out, the main goal of the project was to visualize through dance feelings stemming from mental illnesses.
The results of research on the benefits of art on mental health are broader than the boundaries of a digital conference. Recently, in a webinar organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) entitled “Cultural participation and local resilience” η Dr Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, research scientist at the school of public health of the Harvard University (Research Scientist, Harvard T.H. School of Public Health), released evidence linking mental health and art.
More specifically, engaging in art forms where the person is a receptive arts engagement, such as going to the theatre, museums, galleries and exhibitions once or twice a year, reduced the mortality rate by 14%, while going on a regular basis, every two months or more often, reduced it to 31%. In addition, regular visits to such activities minimised the chances of getting cancer.
In the Active Arts Engagement arts category, individuals who participated in theatre activities had a significant increase in their level of social E-Zine and social psychology. Still, it was reported that participation in dance activities reduced depression and anxiety and increased quality of life and mental abilities.
Art instead of drugs
Another originality, which, as mentioned, will probably come to Greece, is engaging in art instead of administering psychiatric drugs. Depression, dementia and other mental illnesses show great improvement from attending and participating in arts and culture activities. In practice, this means that patients with mental illnesses will be recommended to attend cultural activities or even participate in some kind of art.
The prescription art or Arts on Prescription already used for some years in the United Kingdom and shows amazing results. As mentioned in “Virtual 10th CoMuseum International Conference”, which was organised by the Benaki Museum, has been submitted to Recovery Fund the cultural prescription project. Ο DG for Contemporary Culture Nicholas Yatromanolakis, stressed that there is communication with the Ministry of Health so that the relevant procedures can proceed. This is an excellent first for our country.
The correlation between art and euphoria seems even more crucial in today's digitization of everything and in our entry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The long hours spent on mobile phones and computers, for work or play, has created the phenomenon of digital overwork-digital burnout (this term refers to the feelings of anxiety, exhaustion, stress and apathy caused by long hours spent on digital devices).
Body and psyche
In practice this means that people are looking for ways to escape from the virtual environment. Art has the potential to provide this outlet, getting the individual to use their creative skills away from a screen. Theatre and dance activate the body and psyche, while the visual arts offer a tangible effect in the physical world. Of course, anyone who engages in art does not expect to become either an artist or a future artist. Michelangelo Michelangelo.
He is someone who has found practical and applicable tools for his psycho-education and improving his quality of life. Because the relationship between arts and culture and health is connected on the one hand directly by promoting health, and on the other hand indirectly as means of improving emotional and social well-being, which in turn promotes health and livelihoods.
In conclusion, I quote the following proverb “the children of the caring, before they are hungry, they cook” and while hunger shows its effects immediately, the effects of a “bad” or “good” life are seen in the long term. Thus the beneficial effects of the combination of art and well-being are seen over time.
Spending time on arts and culture is an investment, where the elements of time benefit individuals as individuals, but also the wider community as a whole, in matters relating to health. Therefore, by doing activities that consciously improve our Eu-zine, we can not only get out of an unpleasant situation we find ourselves in, but also start to enjoy life itself.
