Fuori dall'Ombra
This project born from the strengthened cooperation with the local Centre
of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and try to give another opportunity to
people with psychiatric disabilities, putting them deeper into the society,
stimulating the perception of themselves, the sense of cultural utility.
Participants are realizing this project into the cultural centre “Officine
Culturali”, that means, above all, outside the Centre of Rehabilitation
in which they spend the main part of their social life, so it’s
a big opportunity to discover other places, other people of the city
and escape from the usual lifestyle.
The project provides for various phases and different methodologies of
participation, the creation of a social net which includes associations
and institutional partners, the use of manipulation and creativity to
realize objects that will be put into society sharing results of workshop
in structures like schools, children’s hospitals.
The project is realizing weekly workshops in which participants create
objects and games, using recycled materials or reusing wasted objects.
This could be understood as an image of the people who participate at
the project, discovering new identity and developing new possibilities
of expression.
At the same time it shows that psychiatric disadvantaged people are frequently
discriminated without reason and, at the opposite, they are full of abilities
and they need to be stimulated and addressed.
Moreover this project is a good way to sensitize participants and society about the topic of critical consumption, recycling and reducing waste. In fact during the period of the workshop (from December 2005 to June 2006) participants will use different kind of materials to understand how is possible to recycle, reuse and reduce in different ways. At the end of the project there will be expositions and various occasions to share results and the meaning of the work to all social community.
Methodology of the workshop
In each session, animators present a different material (plastic, paper,
wood, textiles, glass, metal, ecc.), the way to recycle it and different
objects that is possible to create with.
Participants express themselves through interpretation and decoration
of various objects and animators suggest and motivate them.
At the end everybody participate cleaning the working place, paying attention
to put every material into the right waste basket and, so, recycling.
Then it is reminded the purpose of the project to not forget what’s
the meaning of all.
Animators are with participants not only to help them at the moment of
artistic creation, but also to create a relaxed and friendly mood that
make them feel more integrated and able to create new relationships.