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RIHN Education Seminar
| Date | October 8th, 2024, 17:00-18:00 |
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| Venue | RIHN Seminar Room 3-4 and online (ZOOM) |
| Registration | Prior registration is requested. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcO-orTsuH9yELPl1It07vWmOETOiAsGz |
| Speaker | Dr Zoe Moula (Lecturer in Mental Health, King’s College London / Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Art Therapy) Commentators: Professor Narumi Yoshikawa (Uehiro Research Center for Japan Environmental Studies, RIHN) and Dr Ryosuke Nakadai (Yokohama National University) |
| Title | Nature connection through the arts: Examples from research and practice in the UK |
| Abstract | The impact of engagement with nature on our health and well-being is now widely evidenced. Likewise, a WHO evidence synthesis of over 3,000 studies suggests that the arts play a major role in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and health management across the lifespan. However, what has received limited attention in the literature thus far is the interconnection between the two – arts and nature – and their combined effect on both human and planetary health. When the arts and more established forms of creative psychotherapy (i.e., art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, dance movement therapy) take place in nature, they can de-stigmatise ‘therapy’ and create more accessible and inclusive spaces for people who hesitate to engage in traditional therapeutic or clinical environments. Instead, the sessions take place in safe and private outdoor spaces, such as hospital gardens or outdoor community spaces, using nature-inspired artmaking as the main mode of expression and communication. Furthermore, as personal healing is initiated through immersion in nature, this often leads to increased nature connection and care. This has the dual benefit that healing in nature is also healing for nature. Nature-based arts and arts therapies can play a critical role in the provision of mental health support for people who have been affected by the environmental crisis, either directly through forced displacement and migration, or indirectly through experiences of ecological grief and eco-anxiety by witnessing the destruction of ecosystems, biodiversity loss, and the uncertainty of the future. This seminar will focus on UK-based research and practice aiming to understand how arts and arts therapies in nature can promote wellbeing and nature connection, particularly in children and young people. For example, one of our studies titled ‘Eco-capabilities’ showed that engaging children with arts-in-nature made children feel happier with their life, preferred to spend time outdoors, and were more optimistic about their future. We also saw a 470% increase in illustrations of animals and 483% increase for plants in children’s pre- and post-intervention drawings, suggesting that arts-in-nature contributed towards what we term as ‘nature visibilisation’. Examples from research and practice in the UK and internationally provide groundbreaking initiatives for inclusive placemaking and artmaking that can lead to a sense of belonging, community engagement and active citizenship. Such examples demonstrate how arts-in-nature can move beyond interventions for small groups or individuals towards wider societal and preventative health approaches that empower people to have a positive impact on their local environment and, thereby, broader planetary health. |
| Language | English |
| Organized | Fundamental Research Department, RIHN |
| Contact | Professor Yasuhisa Kondo (Education Division, RIHN) kondo[at]chikyu.ac.jp *Please change [at] to @ |