|
Creating Changes
Therapeutic Exploration of Art in the field of Autism
By Vijaya Mohan
 Figure 1: Finger Paint & Glue
Art revolves around mind and body, heart and soul, thought and touch, feeling and exploration. In the art therapy process, children are encouraged to visually represent their thoughts and feelings. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, they can increase awareness of self and others.
The creative process is encouraged to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well being of special needs children. Art therapy helps the children to externalize their feelings through visual imagery. This encourages and empowers the child to reduce their problematic behaviour. The therapeutic process as mind-body integration stimulates the release of feelings to enhance communication for children with disabilities. As J.Donna (2001) so rightly states,”all people, including those with autism, have a right to experience opportunities that allow them to transcend their inner world”.
Autism is a complex neurological disorder with impairment in thinking, feeling, language and the ability to relate to others. Autism affects the way an individual perceives the world with problems in speech, communication, behaviour and social relationships. Children with autism suffer from deficiency in communication and imagination, their language is often idiosyncratic and echolalic. Repetition and delayed processing are the characteristic features of autism.
All of the confusion experienced by the child with autism can make the world a frightful place. Difficulties in understanding and articulating emotions may cause the child's response in some situations to appear to be inappropriate. Emotional outbursts are common and it may be difficult for them to regain control. Our response to these outbursts may increase their confusion, frustration and anger. These outbursts may result in a child trying to hurt themselves or others.
In my experience of working with autistic children, when they see anything new they touch, pickup, explore and smell it. During the art making process the client experiences touching, feeling, smelling and sensing of art materials. Creating art is a physical activity involving both kinesthetic and mental creativity. The image created in front of the therapist may be a release of painful feelings and a catharsis of past experiences.
Children who have problems communicating verbally are often encouraged to “speak “freely by drawing or painting. Art provides a multi sensory approach. Sensory and visual stimulation and a multi sensory approach are used to express the creative process. Exploration using sensory materials enables expression and communication for children with autism. Art has the potential to change lives in profound ways. When words are not enough, we turn to images and symbols to tell us the stories. (IATO)
References:
Donna, J.B (2005) The art of therapy, Drawing individuals out in creative ways, Journal by www.autism-society.org, (p.26-27)
Evans, K. & Dubowski, J (2001) Art therapy with children on the Autistic Spectrum beyond Words by Jessica Kingsley Publisher. London and Philadelphia.
Malchiodi, C.A (2003) Hand book of Art Therapy Published by Guildford press, London and New York.
Sandra, R.D (1999) Making sense of art: Sensory based art activities for children with Autism, Asperger syndrome, and Pervasive developmental disorder by Autism Asperger Publishing Co. (APC) Kansas.
Stepney, S.A (2001) Art therapy with Students At Risk, Introducing art therapy into an alternative learning environment for adolescents by Charles C.Thomas, Publisher,Ltd.Springfield.Illinois.USA
International Art Therapy Organization [IATO] Group on Facebook
Art therapist Vijaya Mohan (M.A. Art Therapy & Dip in SPED) is a Singapore trained art therapist and special educator with 15 years of experience in the field of health, therapy and the arts. She has worked with children with autism in school setting and is doing voluntary work in art therapy in various organizations like Institute of Mental Health, Rehab for Elderly and in Singapore girl’s home. She has experience in working with children affected by the Tsunami in Sri Lanka and Special Schools in India. She is currently working with special needs children and conducts workshops on art therapy for school teachers, social workers, school counselors, and parents of special children.
You can contact Vijaya at 94595756 or arttherapistvijaya@gmail.com or www.varnamela.com.
Pacita People!
with artist Kelly Reedy
 Pacita Abad, “Self-portrait” 2003, 24-colour, paper pulp, mixed media and handmade STPI paper assemblage
Pacita Abad (1946 – 2004), an artist born in the Philippines, is well known for her stunning paintings, prints, ceramics and glassware. Her works were inspired by her own culture as well as her experiences living in or traveling to more than 80 countries including Guatemala, Yemen, Papua New Guinea and Singapore.
During her life, she was fascinated with primitive art and ethnic textiles. She developed a special technique called “trapunto” where she would stitch and stuff her canvas paintings in order to obtain a 3-D effect, like used in quilting. She also added fabrics, mirrors, beads and shells to the work. In her last and largest series, she turned to abstraction and played with the idea of the “circle”. Some of her most famous pieces were created at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute where she worked with paper pulp and made hanging figurative sculptures from circles. Her most ambitious project was the painting of the Alkaff Bridge in Singapore in 2004, which she covered with 2350 multicolored circles.
Pacita did not separate her life from her art. She decorated her dining room cupboards with batik fabric and even painted her clothes! She also gave generously of her time by conducting art workshops for children and adults. She did several special projects at the Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. The school continues to celebrate her life and art by recently giving their Year 1 students a special opportunity to work with a visiting artist and use relief printmaking techniques to create a portrait of Pacita with a young student out of printed circles.
Here are a few images from the “Pacita People” project carried out in March 2010 at the Tanglin Trust School. If you are unable to use printmaking techniques, you can make similar circles with paint or crayons and glue them on to a firm surface to create some “Pacita People”!
Relief Printing with Circles:
1. Find or make different types of stamps or plates in the form of circles, e.g. cut
shapes from soft foam.
2. Roll out your printing ink on a Perspex surface with a brayer until you hear a
“sticky” sound.
3. Next roll up your foam plate so that the entire surface is covered in a thin layer of
ink. Be careful not to use too much ink.
4. Center a piece of thin rice paper over your plate and carefully lay it down.
5. Gently rub the back of the paper in an even circular motion with a baren, a spoon
or just your fingers to obtain a print. You may place a second piece of paper over
the rice paper to prevent damaging its surface.
6. Slowly pull your print off of the plate and lay it flat to dry.
7. You may ink your plate up again to make another print.
8. *Instead of rubbing your inked plate, you may turn it over and stamp it onto your paper.
A Filmic Wait Time
The Substation Soapbox
Crafter of the fine art of film, Victric Thng, has been at his task since 2003, making critically acclaimed and publicly well received short films such as Lamentable and The Mole, of which the latter had won the Gold Award in the Panasonic-MDA Digital Film Fiesta 2007. Chris Ong attempts to delve into the filmmaker’s headspace to find out if his dream-like, experimental yet moving art films, reflect his inner world.
CO: Take us through the general thought/working process of Victric Thng, the filmmaker, from the beginning to the end of the creation of a film.
VT: There is no specific formula to how I create my films. Most of the time, I am guided by my instinct and my gut feeling. It has always started with an idea, and I have discovered that most of my ideas occur in the most unexpected situations and scenarios, like when I am sitting on the toilet bowl, taking a shower, doing housework, on a bus ride or when I am drifting into slumber.
I believe ideas are constantly dropping from the sky, and that they are just looking for an empty mind that is ready to receive them.
After the idea is “bestowed unto” me, my job is then to wait, to allow the idea to further nurture on its own, and to see what happens next. I admit that I am a passive filmmaker and a passive person as well, but I do believe that there is a time for everything. If I am in tune with the timing of the idea and let things unfold naturally, the film itself will eventually be made in its full splendor and it will look effortless and more self assured. Not all ideas that I have “received” must be made immediately, although having said that, some of my films were made spontaneously.
Sometimes, we have to be honest with ourselves, to realise that even though the idea is really brilliant, we might just not be ready for it. So, knowing that, I try to be sensitive and listen to my inner voice, which is a crucial step I always take before I embark on making the film.
I believe a true artist or filmmaker needs to be in tandem, in tempo and in tune with regards to whatever they do in the arts and not rush into it. Otherwise, it will be just another classic case of “haste makes waste”, sacrificing a potentially good idea because we are just too eager to jump the gun and disallow a given time and space for the idea to develop fully. Not many people realise that waiting is also part of a creative process.
I strongly feel that if a film is meant to be made, it will be made and all the vital elements will surround you, align themselves at their own time and make it happen for you - that’s my philosophy. You just need to be there at the right time to seize them. We are not filmmakers but makers chosen by the films themselves.
CO: I heard that you have plans to explore the hidden artist side of yourself by exploring other artistic media. Care to tell us a little more about this secret side or reveal any future plans (say for example, making your first feature film)?
VT: There is no secret that I am always looking for ways to express myself regardless of whatever media I can get my hands on. It does not necessarily need to be art related. Well, to put it crudely, I don’t mind being a politician or a prostitute if I find that I can express myself best in those positions or roles.
Yes, I hope to make my first feature film someday and hopefully, it will be soon. But really, I am not in a hurry and I think that I am just not that ready yet. The idea for a feature is still brewing in my subconscious and elements for the film have yet to be fully formed. So I guess I just have to wait a little while longer.
SG.Ruins Series
Edgware Road, 2008
Art//Photography: ArronTeo.com
Sarbani Bhattacharya
Solo Show
 Life in a Log 15 - 25 Jul, The Gallery of Gnani Arts (The Regent Singapore)
Sarbani Bhattacharya’s paintings exude a sense of magic through the timeless concept of the mother and her child, and the power of the life-giving tree. Jeremy Ramsey
KHRŌMA: Hues of The Subconscious Mind
 Purple Cauldron
06 Jul - 30 Sep, tcc “The Gallery”, 51 Circular Road
“KHRŌMA: Hues of The Subconscious Mind” is a solo exhibition featuring still-life, abstract and landscape paintings by Jeremy Ramsey, a British born artist who has lived in Singapore since 1956.
Jeremy Ramsey is principally known for his colour filled paintings that reflect strong modernist art elements. Coming back to full time art after a hiatus of about 40 years when Ramsey enjoyed a successful career as a businessman, he has worked as a full time painter for the last two decades. He has been exploring subject matter such as the figure, still life and landscape expressed in a very unique and often in an abstract format. Colour is a central theme that runs throughout his oeuvre, expressing emotions and feelings in a free-spirited manner that emerges from his subconscious mind. Ramsey says: “My sense of colour is probably influenced by having lived a life in the sun and the brilliance of many years in the east without which I would not have been able to paint”.
For many artists colour is very powerful and is something one should use with caution. But Ramsey almost has a hunger for brightness and no fear of expressing the varied hues one next to the other. In the practice of art, there is no linear progression of thought and ideas. Concerns and connections come from different sources, not necessarily from one realization leading to the next.
Through his intimate relationship with his material and medium, various cultural aspects emerge in Ramsey’s work from aboriginal art to African and modernist art influences such as Matisse and Picasso. Finally, it is only through a deep understanding and assimilation of many years of explorations in the world of art and aesthetics that this septuagenarian’s canvases can burst forth alive with such colour and depth. Ramsey says: “I simply use my feelings to express the age in which we live, and my work is wide open to interpretation”.
Underwater World by Michel Roggo
Experience the beauty and uniqueness of water
By Syed Muhd Hafiz
 Te Waikoropupu Springs, New Zealand © Michel Roggo 25 Jun - 11 Jul, The Arts House (open 10am - 8pm)
Discovering photography at an age which is considered to be relatively late – thirty years old, Michel Roggo has come a long way in documenting the underwater world. Michel has an affinity towards the element of water and of course, the different species that inhabit its environment.
His passion has taken him from his home country Switzerland, to the rainforests of Amazon, the rivers in Rocky Mountain and the underground caves of Croatia, just to name a few breathtaking locations. Michel’s favourite spots include untouched springs, creeks, rivers and lakes. His pursuits have won him many accolades and his photography exhibitions have enthralled many across Europe.
Having said “water is life”, Michel’s connection with the underwater world goes beyond the visual documentation of a photographer. His upcoming show is brought to the Arts House during the period of the Singapore International Water Week 2010 (SIWW 2010) by swissnex Singapore, a platform of the Swiss Embassy dedicated to science, education, arts and innovation, under the umbrella of the European Festival “encore!”. It portrays images that attempt to capture the ebb and flow of the environment he works in. His fluid depiction of the underwater world is even more challenging considering the fact that some of the pictures were taken from the shore, using self-developed systems with auto-capturing methods. Looking at some of the images of the photographer at work, is like looking at a half-human, half-robot figure with his camera light set-up resembling tentacles offering superior vision underwater.
While technology enables a photographer of the underwater world to confront harsh conditions, it takes a committed explorer to scout for the unlikeliest of locations and produce photos that readers would never thought be possible.
Winner of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009, Michel has published over 10,000 pictures since he turned professional in 1987. His commitment in defining underwater photography takes on an inter-disciplinary approach as well, with musical-visual installations, as previously shown at the Château de Gruyères, Switzerland in January 2009. Having worked as a junior curator at the Fribourg Museum of Natural History during the mid-eighties, Michel’s concern towards audience’s experience extends to his photography exhibitions as well.
Ultimately, Underwater World, besides offering visitors the wonders and splendours of an environment that has long fascinated man, also brings to the fore the underlying concern of conservation. Unlike the vociferous and aggressive environmentalist lobbies, Michel’s underwater photography offers a subtle yet poignant message, that we have much to lose should we continue our laissez faire attitudes towards underwater life conservation. On display, exhibition visitors will be able to appreciate images of fishes and plants in the Amazon, salmons in the North American Pacific Ocean as well as rare salmons from the Atlantic Ocean in the rivers of Québec. Embedded in the water theme of the SIWW 2010, this exhibition encompasses a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from photography aesthetics to environmental protection, offering multiple entry points for visitors.
For more information please visit www.swissnexsingapore.org. EXPO 2010
Better City, Better Life.
 Singapore Pavilion © Kay Ngee Tan Architects
Till 31 Oct, Shanghai, China
China is the second Asian country, after Japan (EXPO 2005 in Aichi), to stage a world exhibition in the 21st century. Approximately 50 out of the 230 participating countries and international corporations such as the Red Cross and the United Nations have built their own pavilions.
With „Better City, Better Life“, EXPO 2010 addresses urban problems of the 21st century, particularly concepts of sustainable urban development for a better life in the cities of the future.
The German pavilion presents itself with „balancity“ – a city in balance, a city, which does not derive its quality of life through sameness, but through the interplay of diversity and contrariness of city and nature, leisure and work.
The research project SPREE2011 is presented in the German pavilion as a contribution of the Berlin Senate. The goal of SPREE2011´s initiators is the cleaning of Berlin’s river, the Spree. Within the context of the Water Decade, proclaimed by the United Nations in 2005, and the European Water Framework Directive’s regulation to achieve good ecological status of all waters in the European Union until the year 2015, and in view of the devastating water situation in China, SPREE2011 shows how technological development and resource protection can usefully complement each other and contribute to the improvement of quality of life in the city.
Water and garden are core elements in the Singapore pavilion with the theme “Urban Symphony” which pays tribute to Singapore symbolising its harmony of culture, progress and sustainability. The pavilion was designed by Kay Ngee Tan Architects.
For further Information:
http://en.expo2010.cn, www.expo2010-deutschland.de, www.SPREE2011.de
Frida Kahlo
Retrospective
 Frida Kahlo in a hospital bed, drawing her corset with help of a mirror, 1951 Collection Galería López Quiroga Photo: Juan Guzmán © Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas
Till 9 August 2010, Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin, Germany
Born in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Frida Kahlo is one of the great identification figures of Latin American art. She stands out as one of the most famous female artists of the first half of the 20th century. The Berlin exhibition documents her artistic development from the New Objectivity through Mexican Estridentism – an avantgarde, interdisciplinary artistic movement that arose out of the Mexican Revolution – to Surrealism and her very own brand of realism.
The exhibition includes works never before shown or believed to be lost, such as Frida Kahlo’s painted plaster corset, now in private hands. Other highlights include Kahlo’s last works dating from 1954. Both the self-portrait in oils as a sunflower – a work previously believed to have been destroyed – and the self-portrait drawing are being seen in Europe for the first time. Also of interest is the identification of the hitherto anonymous subject of a portrait from Kahlo’s early oeuvre, who turns out to have been the Mexican women’s rights activist Adela Formoso de Obregón Santacilia, who gained fame as the founder of the Women’s University of Mexico.
Many of the 90 drawings on show here have never been exhibited before. These hitherto unknown works raise new questions and afford new insights, such as the completely abstract series 13 Feelings (1949), inspired by the psychological studies of her artist friend Olga Costa. She uses clever verbal and visual games both to conceal and express thoughts. The enigmatic and often witty encryption of her pictures with numbers and plays on words are elucidated in the exhibition. Some drawings are preludes to later oil paintings and are thus important for a proper appreciation, revealing as they do the evolution of her painting oeuvre. This includes the study for the painting The Broken Column.
Do make your way to Berlin, if you have a chance.
|
