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- Volume 13, Issue 2, 2022
Journal of Applied Arts & Health - Volume 13, Issue 2, 2022
Volume 13, Issue 2, 2022
- Editorial
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Editorial
More LessThe editorial briefly discusses the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the need for art-based disaster relief for those most affected. With reference to a previous Special Issue of the Journal of Applied Arts & Health (JAAH 9:2), the role of art, no matter the form, is discussed as an active agent of learning, resilience and of healing. Art-based psychosocial work aims to support individuals, families and groups affected by crisis, provide psychosocial well-being and prevent mental health crisis in times of trauma. Further the importance of self-care for those working in this field is highlighted. The editorial introduces the current journal issue’s content which covers a range of research projects.
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- Articles
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The work hurts
More LessThis study aimed to explore the emotional impact on arts practitioners of working in health, social care and participatory settings and how supervision, or lack of, affects artists’ well-being. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen to explore the lived experiences of artists working in this field. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five artists working across the arts and health spectrum, in a range of settings including children’s hospitals, hospices, prisons, older adults and rehabilitation wards. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using IPA. Four super-ordinate themes emerged from the analysis: this work as a calling; the psychological impact of the work; managing the impact through supervision and support; sustaining the professional and the personal self.
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Is belly dancing in pregnancy safe and beneficial? The views of two expert panels
Authors: Mary L. Nolan and Rebecca GodwinThis article describes a study of the impact of belly dancing on women’s experience of pregnancy, labour and birth. In order to identify the core movements of belly dancing suitable for pregnant women, an expert panel of belly dance teachers was convened. Next, based on the teachers’ consensus, a video demonstrating the core movements was produced. Finally, a second expert panel was convened, comprising midwives and childbirth educators, who were asked to comment on the video from their professional standpoints. The panel considered that the movements demonstrated were safe and would help with pregnancy ailments such as back-ache, pelvic discomfort, constipation, sleeplessness and anxiety and that belly dancing would assist pregnant women’s mental health, positive self-image and confidence in their bodies to give birth. The relational aspect of belly dancing in terms of building a sisterhood of women making the transition to motherhood was also noted.
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‘The Big Picture’: Developing community-led approaches to substance use disorder through participatory video
Authors: Paul Cooke, Raginie Duara and Anna Madill‘The Big Picture’ was a participatory video (PV) project. The aim was to increase the involvement of young people in India in the active development of practice and policy regarding substance use disorder (SUD). Working with drug rehabilitation centres to innovate their programmes, the team used video production as a tool to help young people advocate for policy change by promoting public awareness of how they see this issue. Unlike many accounts of PV, which tend to focus solely on the processes of community engagement, this article also takes account of the art of the films produced. Drawing on theoretical approaches to subjectivity in autobiographical filmmaking that highlight the complex interactions between the individual and the collective in such work, the article examines, in particular, how the films created emphasize the importance of adopting a relational, community-led, approach to SUD if rehabilitation programmes are to be effective.
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Exploring artmaking as a source of metaphor for women’s cancer experiences: A phenomenological study
Authors: Christine Novy, Marie-Christine Ranger and Roanne ThomasMetaphoric language is common in cancer discourse. However, prevailing military and journey metaphors may not capture variation in cancer experiences. In this article, the authors describe an art-based community research programme for women who had experienced cancer. Taking a phenomenological approach, the article examines how artmaking processes and materials were used by the study participants to shape their own metaphoric thought and, thereby, to articulate a more intimate understanding of their cancer experiences. The authors discuss four themes arising from their findings: (1) experiencing metaphor at its source, (2) artworks as insight cultivators, (3) art as process and metaphor for understanding cancer and (4) alternative metaphors for the cancer experience. Artmaking may be a means to enhance phenomenological data collection in the context of cancer experiences. By capturing variation in women’s cancer experiences, it may also lead to improvements in cancer survivorship care.
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My quarantine landscapes: A personal inquiry into the COVID-19 lockdown experience through drawings
More LessThis article presents an art-based personal inquiry into the author’s experience of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Drawing was used as a way to document, process and regulate feelings during the lockdown. The author revisited these drawings over the course of the following year, engaging with them through imaginative dialogues and creative writing, and looking for patterns to make meaning of them. This inquiry highlighted themes of existential issues around death and life, longing for connectedness to nature and other humans, and the toll of home confinement on the lived body. The author reflects on how artistic inquiry helped her approach an anxiety-provoking situation with curiosity, become aware of existential issues that the pandemic had brought up and treat them with intentionality and authenticity.
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Bodies becoming art: Using a Deleuzian approach to explore the bodies and health of gay men
Authors: Phillip Joy, Matthew Numer, Sara Kirk, Megan Aston, Lisa Goldberg and Laurene RehmanThe ways gay men navigate socially constructed body tensions are explored through a post-structural lens. Nine self-identifying gay men in Canada used photovoice to create images that expressed their beliefs, values and practices about their bodies. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews to discuss the meanings of their images. Three discursive considerations were created from the analysis of both interviews and the photographs. Participants attempted to create bodies aligned with the dominant body ideals for gay men but, in doing so, often suffered from emotional harm that negatively shaped their health and well-being. Some participants, however, through the process of creating their bodies were able to find new connections and new understanding of their bodies. They were able to find new ways of being outside the rigid body ideals set before them. Through the post-structural lens of the research, participants’ bodies can be conceptualized as bodies becoming art.
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Renegotiating problematic relationships: An art-based sculpting method to address reactivity across disciplines
Authors: Devon Govoni, Laura Teoli and Dan SummerThis article details an art-based sculpting method designed to assist professionals in exploring reactivity and difficulties within therapeutic relationships. The authors describe the Four-Phase Sculpting Method (FPSM), research specific to the method and how it was adapted for use in clinical practice, education, training and professional development. The FPSM addresses challenging relationships through the creation of a three-dimensional sculpture in four distinct phases: a creation phase, breakdown phase, mending phase and renegotiation phase. During these phases, emotions are given a form and explored through a continual process of dialoguing and witnessing. Research outcomes indicate that the method promotes transformation of thoughts and feelings, resulting in a greater understanding of the self and others. The authors discuss the FPSM and how they incorporated it into a variety of academic and professional settings over the past several years. Furthermore, the authors provide an overview of interdisciplinary applications of the FPSM.
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- Book Review
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Applied Theatre and Sexual Health Communication: Apertures of Possibility, Katharine E. Low (2020)
By Matthew HahnReview of: Applied Theatre and Sexual Health Communication: Apertures of Possibility, Katharine E. Low (2020)
London: Palgrave Macmillan, 323 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-34995-975-4, ebook, $69.99
ISBN 978-1-34995-974-7, h/bk, $89.99
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- Conference Review
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