"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
Interview

To look beyond the psychiatric diagnosis. In conversation with Alexandra Bălășoiu.

Her innovative approach emphasises the importance of community and artistic expression in understanding mental wellbeing. With a background in choreography from the National University of Theatre and Cinematography in Bucharest, she is dedicated to reshaping the conversation around mental health. Meet Alexandra Bălășoiu, a passionate artist and creative mind behind the “mind-moving” project, whose work invites us to explore the complexities of human experience, blending dance, performance, and social interaction in a truly inspiring way.

"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.
"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.
"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.

What is the primary objective of the “mind-moving” project initiated by Indie Box and its partners? 

“mind-moving” originated from a desire to broaden the general discourse around mental illness. Our goal is to enhance education on the subject through an expansive vision that creates space for reframing psychiatric diagnoses and interventions. We see patients as unique human beings within a complex system of social relations, where every symptom is rooted not only in the individual but also in their interactions with the community. We place artistic tools at the centre of the conversation, as we strongly believe they have the capacity to express, hold, and transform complexities that go beyond our rational understanding of the world. 

There are several media utilised in the project to bridge the gap between the public and those with psychiatric diagnoses. What are they? 

The project operates through two main directions to address the gap between the public and those with psychiatric diagnoses. The initial approach involved engaging in artistic dialogues with patients through dance performances accompanied by live music and workshops in art therapy, therapeutic photography, and dance and movement therapy. These interactions paved the way for building an artistic product that invites the audience into the unique experience of living with a psychiatric diagnosis, offering a chance to reflect and reframe personal narratives. Movement, music, video projections, theoretical quotations, and artistic testimonials converge in a performative installation that combines the qualities of a museum with a therapeutic environment, where emotions and beliefs can unfold and transform. 

We place artistic tools at the centre of the conversation, as we strongly believe they have the capacity to express, hold, and transform complexities that go beyond our rational understanding of the world.

"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.

What significance does art therapy carry for the project then? 

It serves as a tool to cultivate our human capacity to engage with aspects of life that cannot be fully expressed through verbal language or cognitive understanding. It provides a way to confidently explore the unknown, drawing on a history of evidence-based results. By engaging both the general public and patients through creative and art-therapeutic approaches, we aim to empower individuals to express their inner complexities. Allowing these complexities to take the form of visual art, dance, or photography gives visibility to aspects of themselves that have often been silenced. The project also brought together artists from dance, performance, music, and visual arts with our research focused on the body and its experience in relation to altered states of consciousness. 

And there’s the performative installation part of the project, too. Tell us more about it and the mental health challenges it explores. 

“mind-moving” first met the public in Bucharest in November 2023 at Rezidența9 for one week before travelling to Norway, where it was presented for another week at Trafo Kunsthall in Asker, near Oslo. After the RO-CULTURE Programme, “mind-moving” was showcased in August 2024 at the Biennale of Art Therapy in Perugia, Italy, with support from the Administration of National Funding. The installation will reopen in November 2024 at Ștefania Palace in Timișoara, with two local performers joining the team.

However, the performative installation primarily addresses the challenge of stigma and social labelling, encouraging the audience to look beyond diagnoses. We invite the public to explore, with curiosity, the states and behaviours associated with different mental illnesses in a museum-like setting that fosters free movement and active engagement. Each installation focuses on different experiences, ranging from depression to schizophrenia, artistic creativity to psychosis, facilitating a deeper understanding of both the specificities of each illness and the blurred lines between them and so-called “normal” behaviours.

"Mind Moving", photo by Florin Constantin.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Florin Constantin.
"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.
"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.

But “mind-moving” has also been implemented in psychiatric hospitals, too. 

Yes! In 2023, under the RO-CULTURE Programme, the project was implemented at Voila Hospital in Câmpina and “Eftimie Diamandescu” Hospital in Bălăceanca. Later, with support from the Center of Projects Timișoara, the initiative expanded to Louis Țurcanu Hospital in Timișoara, specifically addressing the child neuropsychiatry section. But under the RO-CULTURE Programme, we conducted 48 workshops and four live performances in the hospitals. 

We hope visitors will adopt more patient and creative perspectives, thereby transforming fear and sadness often associated with psychiatric disorders into understanding and compassion.

Like the Voila Psychiatric Hospital in Câmpina. What was the purpose of the creative residency there?

Firstly, the residency took a comprehensive approach, involving all departments of the project – three musicians (Denis Bolborea, Paolo Profeti, and Norwegian artist Stina Moltu), two choreographers (Alexandra Bălășoiu and Cristina Lilienfeld), one dance therapist (Loredana Larionescu), three performers (Cătălin Diaconu, Cătălin Munteanu, and Diana Spiridon), one photographer (Florin Constantin), and two individuals from management and communication. 

And the purpose of this particular artistic residency was to give the team direct exposure to the subjects being addressed. Living within the hospital premises, immersing ourselves in its atmosphere, engaging with patients through artistic practices, performing for them, and dancing informally to their favourite music provided us with invaluable embodied knowledge for our work. 

"Mind Moving", photo by Florin Constantin.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Florin Constantin.

When it comes to the visitors – how does the “mind-moving” exhibition encourage them to reflect on universal human experiences?

The mind-moving installation contains six territories defined by experiences that we can associate, at extremes, with various mental illnesses but that can also inhabit each of us in “normal” life. The performers allow themselves to be guided by the logic of each, immersing themselves in alternative realities and giving corporeality to otherwise invisible inner worlds. Each space is accompanied by theoretical quotations, artistic testimonials, video projections, and light settings that create the foundation for this territory of reflection.

And shift public perceptions of mental health through art, perhaps? 

The performative installation physically embodies the inner worlds of various mental illnesses. Our goal is to prompt a shift in public perception by encouraging the audience to witness these complexities without the need to “fix” or label them. Immersing themselves in this enriched space filled with performers, sound, movement, projections, and written words, we hope visitors will adopt more patient and creative perspectives, thereby transforming fear and sadness often associated with psychiatric disorders into understanding and compassion. The installation also emphasises the community’s role, highlighting its ability to either foster healing spaces or push individuals beyond their limits. We hope this mirroring of societal structures will inspire action and a desire for change. 

"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.
"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.
"Mind Moving", photo by Cristina Matei.
“Mind Moving”, photo by Cristina Matei.

More about the project https://indiebox.ro/en/featured_item/mind-moving/

“mind-moving” was organised in partnership with NOPA – Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists, Entuziart Association, and Profeti ART SRL. The project’s implementation was supported by Voila Hospital in Câmpina, “Eftimie Diamandescu” Hospital in Bălăceanca, Rezidența9, Trafo Kunsthall, and Asker kommune. “Mind-Moving” was financed with support from EEA Grants 2014-2021 under the RO-CULTURE Programme, from December 2022 to February 2024 in Bucharest, Bălăceanca, Câmpina, and Oslo. In 2024, Entuziart Association and AREAL – Space for Choreographic Development extended the project’s actions to other cities in Romania and abroad, resulting in the “Mind-Moving tour.”

About The Author

Alex
Mirutziu

Artist whose practice deals with the process of how we create meaning to interpret the world around us. Inspired by philosophy, literature, and design, he explores the inadequate use of objects, language, and the body as tools of communication.

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