World Mental Health Day

Jeanne Godenèche - 10 Oct 2024

World Mental Health Day marks the importance of mental health and the need for greater awareness and support today, 10 October. Across the globe, artists use their work to explore the emotional depths of mental well-being, offering perspectives and stimulating conversations. Through their creativity, they invite us to pause, reflect, and engage with the complexities of mental health in ways that resonate.

Thanks to the support of the European Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA), several artists developed projects related to mental health - creating spaces for contemplation, exploring the power of memory, fostering collective experiences, among others. Their artistic journeys provide insights into how art can become a tool for healing and connection.

Through the stories presented below, we see how art not only reflects our internal struggles but also offers a path towards emotional balance and understanding.

1

EFFEA Story: Thomas Ott

Hosted by Waking Life in partnership with Horst, Solstice Festival & Roots

Slow down and reconnect with the world around us. Thomas Ott shapes natural spaces that encourage rest, reflection, and calm. By working with organic materials, the artist creates peaceful sanctuaries where the mind can wander and breathe.

Read the story and learn more about the residency.
Credits: Floor Windels
3

EFFEA Story: Alessandro Businaro

Hosted by Teatro in Quota in partnership with Les Longues Journées

Reconnect with memories through shared rituals. Alessandro Businaro's Déjà vu project blends theatre, food, and community, creating a space where the lines between audience and performer blur. By focusing on traditional dishes and inviting participants to cook and share memories, Businaro explores the link between food, culture, and personal history. The process of collective storytelling and shared experiences fosters a sense of belonging and emotional connection, highlighting the healing power of community engagement for mental well-being.

Read the story and learn more about the residency.
Credits: Francesca Paluan
5

EFFEA Story: Catarina Casqueiro & Tiago Coelho

Hosted by Quinzena de Dança de Almada in partnership with Šibenik Dance Festival, Dance Festival Malta, INTERPLAY Festival, MasDanza - The International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands & Aerowaves Festival in Sofia

Explore the interplay between body, memory and mind. Through the Forget Me Not residency, choreographers Catarina Casqueiro and Tiago Coelho explore the complexities of memory acquisition and loss. By working with international artists, academics, and local communities, they created a collaborative space for reflection and exchange. The project fostered the understanding of how memory shapes our identities and experiences.

Read the story and learn more about the residency.
Credits: FORGET ME NOT- Terry Lin
2

EFFEA Story: Sarah Richardson

Hosted by Gothenburg Fringe Festival in partnership with FINFRINGE & Zagare Fringe

Discover how words invite us to feel and weave emotions together. Sarah Richardson reimagined Sun Bear, a dark comedy that explores the lasting effects of emotionally abusive relationships within the backdrop of office life. By combining movement, spoken word and poetry, Sarah created a powerful narrative that resonates with minds and hearts. During the creative process, the artist developed the piece and played with audience interaction and connection strategies, while exploring such a raw and hard-hitting topic.

Read the story and learn more about the residency.
Credits: A Ton of Feathers - Beatrice Debney
4

EFFEA Story: Ban Lei

Hosted by Eye’s Walk Digital Festival in partnership with PASSAGE·Festival & LEME - Circo contemporâneo

Rediscover the hidden emotional landscape of a city. The Eye’s Walk Digital Festival on Syros invited residents and international artists to explore Ermoupolis' coastline, challenging conventional views of the city. By encouraging participants to engage deeply with their surroundings, the project highlighted the often-overlooked emotional essence of urban spaces. Ban Lei’s performance, 153 Returning Birds, added a layer of reflection by bringing together local stories and sounds of nature, reminding us that places, like memories, are filled with stories waiting to return.

Read the story and learn more about the residency.
Credits: HEAD_Genève