Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Bilateral: Two sides, one story

Bilateral: Two Sides – One Story

An art exhibition exploring themes around mental health treatment from an experiential perspective.


Fleur Kelsey :: Bilateral : Two Sides – One Story

MEDIA RELEASE # 2

4 Oct 2009

Event: Art Exhibition

Title: Bilateral: Two Sides – One Story

Date: 5th – 10th October 2009

Time: 10am -5pm

Place: ROCDA Gallery

Opening: Monday 5th October, 6pm.

73 Princes Street

Dunedin

New Zealand

WHO: Fleur Kelsey ( Dunedin )

Fleur Kelsey gives glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors

Winning Ways to Wellbeing” is the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, being held October 5-11, 2009.

To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week Fleur Kelsey will be displaying some of the work Bilateral: two sides - one story at the ROCDA Galley for the entire week to bring a focus to this positive message.

One in five New Zealanders this year will experience some form of mental illness, so making wellbeing a priority in our lives is important. Wellbeing is a concept that has two main elements: feeling good and functioning well. Research has shown five winning ways that people can support their own wellbeing and that of the people around them: connect, be active, take notice, learn and give.

Fleur is using the week to connect with the viewer by giving them a glimpse of what goes on behind the closed doors of the mental health system, as the artist claims her right to display and modify her history through a series of paintings and installations detailing a very private time in her life.

Fleur is displaying a cluster of paintings that will vibrate with the tension of what has happened and what is about to happen. Rooms become passageways to unknown terror or sweet compassion, and anticipation and adrenaline inform the mood. An installation of paper drawings will be created from the artists hospital files and notes, detailing the time around her treatment with Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT), and will be an exploration of retrospective collaborative note writing.

Around New Zealand, many other community groups are leading activities and many schoolteachers will be doing the same. All will contribute to national awareness of mental health, and this year’s theme during the week in their own way.


ENDS


Contact Fleur Kelsey (03) 487 7786

More info www.artshole.co.nz


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MEDIA RELEASE # 1
28 Sept 2009
Event: Art Exhibition
Title: Bilateral: Two Sides – One Story
Date: 5th – 10th October 2009
Time: 10am -5pm
Place: ROCDA Gallery
Opening: Monday 5th October, 6pm.
73 Princes Street
Dunedin
New Zealand

WHO: Fleur Kelsey ( Dunedin )

Clinicians have always had the power in mental health treatment. Traditionally they are the gatekeepers to madness, being able to label and treat without regard for the wider social context that people find themselves in. Clinicians power to label and describe shape the outcomes, attitudes and qualitative experience of those seeking services.

Fleur Kelsey has been busy working on a series of artworks called "Bilateral- Two Sides, One Story" This is for an art exhibition exploring themes around mental health treatment from an experiential perspective that Fleur plans to exhibit in full early next year.

This work uses the artists own history to explore mental health treatments from a lived position, making sense of the experience and offering it up as an exploration of contemporary issues. The work draws on a tradition of feminist investigation into women’s experience and the meanings of experience. Authorship and the authority to reveal what goes on behind closed doors is an important consideration with this body of work, as the artist claims her right to display and modify her history.

This exhibition combines clusters of paintings with an installation work.

Fleur Kelsey graduated with a BFA (Painting) from Otago Polytechnic in 2006. She is an emerging artist working with ideas around children, family life, shared experiences and community practices. She currently works across the disciplines to produce paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations.

A preview of the work will be available to view during Mental Health Awareness Week at ROCDA Gallery.

Fleur can be contacted at 03 4877786 or fleur@artshole.co.nz

Fleur Kelsey would like to thank Bipolar Network and Frozen Funds for their assistance and support


ENDS

Bilateral: Two Sides – One Story



Fleur Kelsey is busy working on a series of artworks called "Bilateral- Two Sides, One Story" This is for an art exhibition exploring themes around mental health treatment from an experiential perspective that Fleur plans to exhibit in full early next year , Fleur is having a preview of Bilateral to acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Week which is held on the 2nd week of October every year, if you would like more information or enquire about next years show please contact Fleur on the contact in the press release above or become a "fan" of artshole on facebook to get updates on this and other shows.