Research project Dream, art and disability – DreamArt
To contribute to research about the potentiality and role of art work within the welfare system a project about dreams, art and disability is carried out between the Department of Special Education and the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University together with a day activity centre with an artistic profile.
This project intends to explore the development from narratives about dreams towards artistic expressions of dreams – the dialogue between inner and outer worlds – within an interdisciplinary research arts project. The aim is partly, from a psychological perspective, to explore the processes of how narratives about dreams are expressed as art and partly, from a special education perspective, to explore how the caring relationsships between the staff and the artists with different disabilities can entail opportunities for development and learning.
Project description
The meaning of artistic work has varied across different settings and over time within the welfare system. Artwork can for example been a part of rehabilition efforts, but it can also be regarded as important in itself. Here, artwork is regarded as having the power to produce more images of what it means to live with disabilities, as well as to challenge prejudice and fight oppression. From this point of view the artist is part of a wider collective and can take part in mainstream society through her/his artwork. Thus, artwork has many different potentials within social care practices, not the least within day activity centres, where today a growing number of people with neuropsychiatric disabilities have their employment. This research arts project explores the meaning of artwork within a day activity centre with an artistic profile, which is aimed for people with neuropsychiatric disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities and people with acquired brain damages. The project is interdisciplinary and will contribute with knowledge from a psychological perspective about processes of how narratives about dreams are expressed as art, as well as a from a special education perspective, contribute with knowledge of how caring relationsships can entail opportunities for development and learning.
Project members
Project managers
Helén Knutes Nyqvist
Universitetslektor
Members
Marie-Louise Stjerna
Universitetslektor
Stephan Hau
Professor
