Between October 2023 and March 2024, M-talo in Seinäjoki, Finland, hosted an artist residency project that brought art into psychiatric care and rehabilitation. Developed by Cultural Manager Hanna Hangasluoma (The Regional Council of
South Ostrobothnia) and artist-expert Venla Korja (Arts Promotion Centre Finland), and supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the project aimed to enhance well-being and support recovery through art.
Concept and Implementation
The project was based on a model from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) for integrating artist residencies into social and healthcare settings. The goal was to pilot cultural well-being services as part of M-talo’s psychiatric care. Funding from the South Ostrobothnia Regional Fund enabled three artists – dance artist Riina Kalmi, visual artist Ville Hautaluoma, and sound artist Sami Silén – to work within M-talo.
Artist Residencies
Each artist spent a month working with M-talo’s clients and staff in various settings:
– Riina Kalmi led movement workshops at the Ruutipuisto hospital school and within group rehabilitation programs. Her work focused on enchancing body awareness and fostering connections through dance. Activities included included body outline drawing, grounding exercises, and Qigong, which helped participants relax and engage with their physical selves. Riina also worked independently in M-talo’s Atrium venue and outdoor spaces, creating video diaries of her process.
– Ville Hautaluoma created M-talon muotokuva (the M-talo Portrait), a communal artwork reflecting the thoughts and feelings of the community. He worked in the Atrium, encouraging clients and staff to stop by and engage in conversation around the evolving artwork. Ville also conducted visual art as part of therapy sessions, provided activities for staff wellbeing in the child psychiatry department, and led art classes at the Ruutipuisto school.
– Sami Silén produced an audio work, Haavoista taisteluarviksi (From Wounds to Battle Scars), based on interviews with four experience experts. Experience experts have lived experience of (mental) health challenges. Sami worked closely with these experts, conducting multiple in-depth interviews. Sami captured the essence of their journeys, translating these into an evocative soundscape that blends realistic and abstract elements to convey their recovery prosesses.
Lounastaidetta: Art at Lunch Events
The residency included Lounastaidetta (Art at Lunch) events, which offered 30-minute performances combining dance, music, and visual art during the lunch hour in M-talo’s Atrium. These events were open to all and provided a moment of reflection in the middle of the day.
Impact and Future
The project was well-received by clients and staff, who appreciated the positive impact of the art activities. The residency demonstrated the potential of integrating art into healthcare environments, with many expressing interest in continuing and expanding similar initiatives.
The M-talo artist residency project has shown how collaboration between artists and healthcare professionals can create meaningful experiences for all involved.