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How Alexandra Pirici Telegraphs Big Ideas Through Small Gestures

How Alexandra Pirici Telegraphs Big Ideas Through Small Gestures

The choreographer and artist Alexandra Pirici likens her work to a transmission whose precise message may or may not be received. Trained as a dancer, she often works with groups of performers to create enactments based on repetitive movements, or speech and sound abstracted from references in nature, history, and popular culture. At the 2013 Venice Biennale, her performers embodied artworks…

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The Mental Ideas Podcast is a weekly podcast in which RTHK presenter Sadie Kaye  takes a humorous look at innovative approaches to tackling mental health, performing bold social experiments and discussing the results with an eclectic mix of guests from the worlds of entertainment, film, politics, the arts & charity.

Coming Soon: Mental Ideas Podcast

Radio Projects

Exploding Mental Health

RTHK’s Miss Adventure

Mental Ideas Podcast The Mental Ideas Podcast is a weekly podcast in which RTHK presenter Sadie Kaye  takes a humorous look at innovative approaches to tackling mental health, performing bold social experiments and discussing the results with an eclectic mix of guests from the worlds of entertainment, film, politics, the arts & charity.

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How Music Helps with Mental Health – Mind Boosting Benefits of Music Therapy - Will Tottle

How Music Helps with Mental Health – Mind Boosting Benefits of Music Therapy – Will Tottle

“If you were to look at those brains, you couldn’t tell the difference between people who were interacting through music and people who were interacting verbally” – Edward Roth

Will Tottle suffers from depression and anxiety disorders. Here, he has collated a wealth of material espousing the benefits of music therapy and relating it to his own experiences. 

Music has been with us for thousands of…

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Mat Ricardo hits back at the Peep Show star’s attack on street performers.

David Mitchell, in his groundbreaking ‘rich white guy finds things to whinge about to a deadline’ column in The Observer last weekend, spaffed out 1,000 words about his hatred of street performers. I’m a street performer. Have been for thirty years. So I was curious about what, exactly, about my artform had so irked Mr Mitchell.

Was it, perhaps, the beautifully egalitarian way a street show is open to any and everyone? It’s one of the very few forms of entertainment to truly be able to say this – with a busker’s audience, there’s no admission charge, nor a preferred type of audience member.

The price of a ticket is simply a desire to watch, and everyone is welcome, and treated equally. Street performers are experts at making their work accessible to the young and the old alike, those that understand the language spoken, and those that don’t. You don’t even have to have any money to watch – those who can pay, cover those that are unable to – it’s a beautiful thing. Socialist, populist theatre.

Maybe he found the artform too broad. Street performing offers a cocktail of disciplines and artforms unmatched anywhere else. Wander down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile during the Fringe and buskers might come in the shapes of Japanese slapstick maestros, Australian hula-hoopers, Spanish clowns, Dutch magicians, American acrobats, and, if you see me, a British juggler in a fantastic suit.

And did he really just call us ‘hippies’? What kind of half-assed dad-insult is that, in 2018? Hippies haven’t been a thing since before David was in public school. You’ll find no hippies among our number – just international theatre makers, globally recognised physical comedy virtuosos, world class circus performers, and dozens of other hard-to-categorise artists who travel the world entertaining audiences in theatres, clubs, festivals, and, yes, on streets. Ironically, given his distaste for people who work on the street, perhaps David likes his shows a little more pedestrian.

No, of course that’s not it. He’s very clear about why he doesn’t like buskers. It’s not about us, it’s about him. He is, he says, very anti-group fun. Always a peachy quality for a comedian, that. But there’s more. He talks about being a Finge performer himself, a few years back, handing out flyers and struggling to sell any tickets, then seeing people like me having Fun on the streets with huge crowds and seething as he watched.

Oh babe, that’s just the Fringe – everyone struggles sometimes. You weren’t failing because you weren’t any good. You were failing because people didn’t care. The street performers that made you ball your little fists, though? They were succeeding because they were good. They’re masters of an artform you don’t seem to respect enough to really understand. Which is a shame, because despite your stated assumption that we’re all twats, we’re actually pretty lovely, so perhaps if you’d said hi, you might have learned a few tricks that could have helped you fill your venue.

In his column, David says that street performers have big crowds because people know the show is free. Nope. They have big crowds because over years, often decades, of honing one of the last remaining Fringe theatre forms, they’ve learned how to charm passing strangers, conjure a theatre from cobblestones, and deliver something that people enjoy so much, that many of them voluntarily choose to donate money at the end, when they could so easily, not.

Being a street performer trains you in bulletproof stagecraft, improvisation, timing, tight scripting, stage presence, and fearlessness, in a way nothing else can. Just ask people like Eddie Izzard, Penn & Teller, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and dozens of other household names, all of whom developed their unique performing styles on the streets.

Only an idiot judges a show by its venue, and that’s double-true at the Edinburgh Fringe.

My feeling is that David figured buskers are an easy target. Glorified beggars, right? I mean, if your punches are going to be this lazy, you need to be throwing them down, not up. His grumpy middle-aged man schtick is played out and obvious, and if not carefully managed can easily come across as elitist assholery.

Look, we’re all entitled to our opinions, but to be so lame and mean-spirited about one of the few remaining elements of beautiful, chaotic, surprising Fringe spirit? Seems like a waste of a column. I mean, what kind of person, with such a fantastic platform in the national press, uses it to whinge about a whole artform, that millions of people enjoy, just because they once had a shitty day at the fringe.

David, are you a baddie?

Underneath David’s free column which people only like because it’s free, there’s a little bonus paragraph. It’s from the Guardian itself. It suggests that if the reader enjoyed the piece, we might want to consider contributing some money. Guess we’re not so different, after all.

Mat Ricardo Versus The World is on at City Cafe, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, at 12.30pm. He has added an extra show at the Counting House at 6.40pm on Monday. Unsurprisingly, it’s a pay-what-you-want show….

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Hey, David Mitchell, only an idiot judges a show by its venue… – Mat Ricardo Mat Ricardo hits back at the Peep Show star's attack on street performers. David Mitchell, in his groundbreaking ‘rich white guy finds things to whinge about to a deadline’ column in…

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SAVE THE DATE: To celebrate National Day of Unplugging, a 24-hour global respite from technology, Mental Ideas and Bipolar Hong Kong will be hosting an event in Hong Kong on March 1st 2019 from sundown till midnight. The event highlights the value of disconnecting from our digital devices to connect with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities in real time. Join our movement unplugging all electronic devices and enjoy a bohemian evening of acoustic music, poetry, art, conversation, food and wine, kicking off with a gourmet picnic in Hong Kong Park @ 6pm. More details about the lineup to be announced soon!

Mental Ideas: Live & Unplugged in Hong Kong! SAVE THE DATE: To celebrate National Day of Unplugging, a 24-hour global respite from technology, …

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Joshua Walters: Just Crazy Enough… Joshua Walters was born in Berkeley, California. In 2001, while attending the San Francisco School of Arts, Joshua was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after hallucinating he was Jesus (who hasn't?!) Since then, Joshua’s performance life and mental health history have been closely intertwined.

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Art saved my life.

Not figuratively, but literally. I was at the end of the road in 2010, after suffering my 4th severe breakdown. I was suicidal and told that there was no support for me. I stood at a crossroad, a paint brush in one hand and a self-destruct button in the other.

Then, I just started to paint.

I am able to communicate with art, sort through painful memories, and help create change for others by raising awareness of mental health and the stigma people like me have to deal with due to having a mental illness.

I encourage others to find a creative outlet this world art day. You won’t regret it.

https://charlottefarhanartactivism.com

Eyes And Ears by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Clouding Of Consciousness by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Vulnerability by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Exploding With Emotions by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

The Looking Glass by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Art Saved My Life – Charlotte Farhan Art saved my life. Not figuratively, but literally. I was at the end of the road in 2010, after suffering my 4th severe breakdown.

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Charlotte Farhan is an artist, illustrator, writer, activist and Brainstorm Ambassador. She’s the managing director of non-profit arts organization Art Saves Lives International and the editor of ASLI Magazine.

Charlotte campaigns tirelessly as an activist against inequality, the stigmatization of mental illness, rape culture, capitalism and war. Her Facebook post about why she would not be changing her profile picture to an overlay of the Tricolor in the wake of the Paris Attacks, even though she is French and from Paris, went viral and received international media attention, including from the New York Times, Telegraph, Independent, Mail, Mirror & Le Huffington. She has written articles for CNBC, Open Minds Quarterly (as a Resident Artist) and as editor of ASLI Magazine.

Originally from Paris, Charlotte now lives with her husband Mohammed in the UK, along with their four cats and her psychiatric warning dog, Amadeus. Charlotte has a diploma in Fine Art and BA degrees in Creative Writing, Philosophy, and Psychological Sciences. Here, she writes for Brainstorm about her ongoing art collection Outsider Art: Mental Health Depicted Through Art.

Brainstorm Ambassador and Artist-Activist Charlotte Farhan

I am an outsider.

Which makes me an outsider artist; meaning that my art is created outside the boundaries of “official” culture and the exclusive art world.

“Outsider Art” was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art bru  (“raw art” or “rough art”), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art by those on the outside of the established art scene, such as psychiatric hospital patients.”

In this ongoing collection, my work focuses on my internal struggles with – and the world’s discrimination against – mental illness. Suffering from C-PTSD (Complex post-traumatic stress disorder) due to childhood abuse and teenage sexual violence, as well as abandonment and neglect in childhood and early adolescence made me susceptible to other forms of mental illness. I now suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychotic Depression, Agoraphobia, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Derealization, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder. I am also still in recovery from an Eating Disorder.

My mission is to use art to show people on the “inside” that WE – The Outsiders – have a voice and it needs to be heard! This helps me communicate with fellow sufferers on the “outside”: together we fight for equality and diversity.

Charlotte Farhan Art Activism 

Art Saves Lives Magazine

Support Charlotte’s Work – Purchase Original Artwork!

Outsider Art by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Exploding With Emotions by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Splitting by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Chained To The Past by Charlotte Farhan

ASLI Magazine’s Second Edition was about Mental Health Recovery

Depicting Mental Illness Through Art

Vulnerability by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Bad Child Crazy Girl by Charlotte Farhan

Everyone’s Watching by Charlotte Farhan

Make It Stop by Charlotte Farhan

Self-Portrait for SANE by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Eyes And Ears by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Outsider Art by Charlotte Farhan

The Looking Glass by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Splitting by Charlotte Farhan

Original Artwork by Charlotte Farhan

Artwork by Charlotte Farhan

C-PTSD by Charlotte Farhan

Obstructive by Brainstorm Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Silence Is Oppressive by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Clouding Of Consciousness by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Now Lay Me Down To Sleep by Artist & Brainstorm Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Happiness Without Potion by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Freedom Over Life by Artist Charlotte Farhan

Night Terrors by Charlotte Farhan

When I Close My Eyes by Charlotte Farhan

Am I Real by Charlotte Farhan

Time To Breathe by Charlotte Farhan

C-PTSD by Charlotte Farhann

The Looking Glass by Ambassador Charlotte Farhan

Artwork by Charlotte Farhan

Outsider Art – Mental Health Depicted Through Art by Charlotte Farhan Charlotte Farhan is an artist, illustrator, writer, activist and Brainstorm Ambassador. She's the managing director of non-profit arts organization…

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Brainstorm Ambassador and artist Jade Bryant uses art as self-therapy and inspires others to do the same. By challenging public perception of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), she spreads awareness, understanding and a message of hope to others who have the conditions. Here, she talks about the hidden meanings behind her artwork.

The piece essentially shows how both the BPD (left side) and the ASPD (right side) work in tandem, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The ASPD often protects the BPD side when things get too overwhelming, which has brought me back from the brink of suicide many times. If I didn’t have that side to me, I really don’t think I’d be here.

The arm wrapped around the BPD side shows protection. The eyes are different, too. The BPD eye has green and blue colours to represent the innocence of feelings and the most predominant emotions I struggle with in a BPD crisis, which are depression, lonliness and helplessness. This is followed by self-realization of how I have behaved, which makes me become overly emotional. The pupil of the BPD eye is multicoloured to represent the spectrum of emotions. Whereas, the ASPD eye is red and orange, with striking yellow, to signify the most dominant emotions and feelings I receive from that side of my personality, which are confidence, boldness, sometimes coldness and distance, independence and adaptability.

The mouths are different too. On the BPD side, the face is set in a frozen expression, representing shock and dissociation: wanting help, but not knowing how to ask for it. The ASPD side has more of a devilish smile because it represents how the condition can often be sneaky, cunning and manipulative, but also lustful, playful, independent and strong.

More Artwork by Artist Jade Bryant

Northern Lights by Artist Jade Bryant

Art by Jade Bryant

Retreat by Artist Jade Bryant

Grief by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Artwork by Jade Bryant

Prince by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Brainstorm Ambassador Jade Bryant

Protector by Jade Bryant

Silenced by Brainstorm Ambassador Jade Bryant

Color Sky by Brainstorm Ambassador Jade Bryant

Astrology by Jade Bryant

CAUTION: Artist At Work

Space Doodle by Artist Jade Bryant

Art As Self-Therapy by Jade Bryant

Support Jade’s Work – Purchase Original Artwork!

Jade’s Website

Jade Bryant on Art as Self-Therapy Brainstorm Ambassador and artist Jade Bryant uses art as self-therapy and inspires others to do the same.

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Jade Bryant is a talented young artist and Brainstorm Ambassador from Devon, UK. She practices art as self-help therapy to alleviate the stress of her borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder symptoms. Jade is passionate about animal welfare and part of her meditative approach to tackling mental health is being in harmony with nature, as this collection of her artwork beautifully illustrates.

Whale by Artist Jade Bryant

Blue Tits by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Dogs by Jade Bryant

In Flight by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Having a Hoot by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Fish by Jade Bryant

Otter by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Lurcher by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Dragonfly by Ambassador Jade Bryant

Lilac Breasted Rollers by Artist Jade Bryant

Fox by Artist Jade Bryant

Animals & Nature Collection by Artist Jade Bryant Jade Bryant is a talented young artist and Brainstorm Ambassador from Devon, UK. She practices art as self-help therapy to alleviate the stress of her…

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SHUSH! We’ve compiled a list of noisy op-eds and controversial articles on mental health from the world’s media. To suggest articles for inclusion, email us the title, publication and date on which it was originally published.

FLY ME TO THE LIBRARY!

  Brainstorm Library SHUSH! We’ve compiled a list of noisy op-eds and controversial articles on mental health from the world’s media.

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The Brainstorm Film Festival (BFF) provides a global platform for innovative and ingenious filmmakers to showcase their films to an audience of film buyers, broadcasters, journalists, filmmakers & film fans. Along with screenings at our spectacular rooftop cinemas, there are seminars, workshops & parties.

Brainstorm 2020 will take place in the heart of Hong Kong!

BFF accepts narrative (drama/ comedy) features and shorts, factual entertainment and documentary films (max length: 30 mins). The Brainstorm Film Festival is committed to showing the boldest and most innovative work: films that inspire, challenge and entertain with a broad focus on mental health issues.  

FESTIVAL PRIZES

– Best Film

– Best Director

– Best Screenplay

– Best Actor (Male & Female)

– Best Documentary

– Best Narrative Short (30 mins)

– Best Narrative Short (10 mins)

– Best Documentary Short (10 mins)

– Best 5 Minute Short

– Best Fight/ Action Sequence

– Original Soundtrack 

Read More!

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Brainstorm Film Festival The Brainstorm Film Festival (BFF) provides a global platform for innovative and ingenious filmmakers to showcase their films to an audience of film buyers, broadcasters, journalists, filmmakers & film fans.

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The Importance of Doing What We're Bad At by Sadie Kaye

The Importance of Doing What We’re Bad At by Sadie Kaye

After being invited to discuss suicide on RTHK‘s Backchat in response to the suicides of Anthony Bordain and Kate Spade, I penned this stream of consciousness article trying to rationalize the spike in suicide stats (according to the New York Times, it has leapt in popularity as a life-obliterating lifestyle choice by 25% since 1999). Reliving my own flirtation with suicide, I started ruminating…

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Brainstorm Films Brainstorm places paramount importance on discovering, nurturing and championing new talent from around the world by brokering mutually beneficial relationships between emergent and established talent.

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The Art of Self-Belief – Owen Fitzpatrick Owen Fitzpatrick is a globetrotting Psychologist from Dublin, Ireland. He has travelled to more than 92 countries and delivered talks and courses in more than 27 countries helping them to understand more about how their brain works. Here he tackles The Art of Self Belief in his own inimitable style.

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Mat Ricardo on How To Find An Audience @ the National Gallery, Dublin

Mat Ricardo on How To Find An Audience @ the National Gallery, Dublin

Brainstorm Ambassador Mat Ricardo is guest speaking at an event at the National Gallery in Dublin tomorrow evening. Mat’s a busy boy, having only just finished his sell-out Big Mistake Tour in the UK. Good luck Mat! https://www.nationalgallery.ie/how-find-audience-mat-ricardo-gentleman-juggler

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Calling All Moody Foodies!

Brainstorm wants your original recipes, mental ideas, provocative theories and entertaining stories of bold culinary experimentation for publication in our magazine and charity cookbook: The Moody Foodie, a guide to helping people with mood disorders manage their moods nutritionally. Packed full of tasty tidbits, humorous anecdotes and original artwork, we’re confident of creating a recipe for success… or failure (whatever’s the better read!)

Email us your mental ideas, stories and recipes! If your recipe is adapted from a recipe by a well-known chef, let us know, so we can chase the necessary permissions (food is a four-letter word though, so…). Write ‘Moody Foodie’ in the subject line so we can direct your email to our resident foodie, Rudy (and his lovely wife Trudy, who’s also a foodie).

Brainstorm: Setting The World on Fire!

  WANTED: Moody Foodies for Cookbook! Calling All Moody Foodies! Brainstorm wants your original recipes, mental ideas, provocative theories and entertaining stories of bold culinary experimentation for publication in our magazine and charity cookbook: