Self Design Ateliers

How can a creative process help to make difficult subjects discussable? And how does an honest, vulnerable attitude contribute to openness and resilience? How can art & theater add value? Self Design Ateliers provides answers.

Self Design Ateliers explores how young people aged 14 - 24 themselves view the effects of the performance society, such as the influence of social media, on their mental state. What do they struggle with and what makes them feel they can or cannot discuss this with friends, at home and at school?

It involves talking with rather than about the young people and, more importantly, doing and making things together hands-on. This thematic approach creates a natural, and perhaps innovative, way of talking.

For four weeks, three groups of Summa College students worked together with three artists. Starting from the artists' practice, each of which links in its own way to the theme of mental health, they set to work developing a tool, workshop or intervention. This happened quite deliberately outside the walls of the school, on location in Het Parktheater. Together we investigated how art and creativity can contribute to making the (effects of) all kinds of topics related to mental health discussible or palpable.

The project is a collaboration between MU Hybrid Art House, Parktheater Eindhoven and social designer Marleen van Bergeijk. The collaboration arose from a call by Culture Eindhoven to reflect and act as a creative sector on the City of Eindhoven's Health Memorandum 2022-2025. For MU, this project is a practical investigation as part of the new education program The Creative Body, which is made possible in part by Fonds 21 and Cultuur Station Eindhoven.

Self Design Ateliers is a collaboration between Parktheater Eindhoven, MU Hybrid Art House, Summa College, Social Work Summa College, Combinatie Jeugdzorg and Lunet. This project brought young people in contact with each other who do not easily meet in everyday life. Together, under the guidance of artists, they explored how a creative process can help in discussing difficult topics such as insecurity, identity, performance pressure and stress.