#19: Next steps…

My last intervention filled me with enthusiasm and energy to carry the project forward. I have another intervention coming up in a couple of days, this time at Hastings Library as a part of a showcase of art and activities based around mental health for Mens Mental Health Day, run by the mind Charity.

This time I will be out of my comfort zone, away from friends and associates, in a place where I know no-one, presenting to the public. Although all the participants will be there because they have an awareness of mental health and are willing to discuss it so it could be the perfect crowd. I’m potentially planning on doing one or two more interventions of this iteration of the project before I put my energy into the next phase. I am in contact with two other groups working with mental health and storytelling who may be potentially interested in hosting The Library.

Intervention Mk 3

Based on the feedback I have received so far, I would like to make a more immersive environment to house the library in. I am inspired by my reading into the traditional sacred spaces of indigenous cultures and the social function these spaces would perform.

I will design a structure that houses the library, but encourages the participant to go on a journey as they explore the archetypes. They will perhaps be hidden in various nooks and crannies of the structure and the participant will have to go on an adventure to discover them.

As they undertake this journey I would like the spaces and the prompts that they encounter to encourage them to engage their sensations, not just their thinking mind. My research and experience shows that it is in the sensations of the body that the healing of trauma can be experienced.

The design of the structure is based around my discussions with psychologist Emma Connor from Your Space Therapies, who helped me by very clearly pinpointing the key elements that are needed for people experiencing mental suffering, those who are trapped in the ‘fight or flight’ response of the Amygdala. These are empathy, states of mutual joy and offers of adventure. These three elements actually help to forge new connections in our frontal lobes, which helps us to process trauma and they will be the inspiration for the next iteration of the project.

This structure should be made of material that is light enough to transport on a trailer and simple enough to build and take down in a few hours, to enable me to take it to festivals and events.

The final element, perhaps coming after the structure is built and tested, will be the immersive storytelling element. I would like to feature around four Revelations. These will be individual booths, housed within The Library that the participants will enter once they have completed their journey discovering their archetypes. The Revelations will be based around four ‘master archetypes’ representing key themes of human experience (Love, Time, Truth, Death). These booths will be the place where the participants are told a story, based on the theme of the Revelation they have chosen, the story will feature the particular archetypes that the participant has selected on their journey through The Library. There’s a lot about this element that I don’t know, but I’m letting the idea simmer and trusting it will become clear in time.

I plan to build this structure in winter/spring 2022, and test it by taking it to various events and festivals through the summer. I plan to add the final element (The Revelations) in the autumn and do the final testing in autumn/ winter 2022

The Question of My Question

I have been purposely avoiding being too definitive about my question in the run up to these interventions, hoping that the doing of the project would help guide me towards the ‘why’ of it all.

It has to some extent helped, I have realised that the phrase ‘mental health’ is a double edged sword. On one hand it brings the project into a slightly clinical sphere, intimating the need for professional involvement with regards to health and safeguarding. On the other hand it also cuts right to the core of the change I want to make, it helps people to understand the motivation behind the project and it opens doors to interventions with a wide array of stakeholders such as charities and support groups.

So I’ll throw my caution to the wind and articulate the most recent iteration of my research question here:

How can I guide people into a deeper awareness of their mental health and provide them with the opportunity to find meaning and understanding about their lives?