storm

Realised in collaboration with patients with OCD/BDD of Seacole Ward, storm is the culminatory exhibition of Nadia Berri’s artist residency ‘working title’ at Springfield University Hospital, London.

From May to July 2021, the patients and the artist have collaborated on the creation of a sequence of multidisciplinary art works and situations using a variety of chance methods, play, improvisation and intuitive response. On several of her sessions, Nadia has also collaborated with musical artist Kit Massey from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London, who shares her interest in the above-mentioned working methods.

‘working title’ established an artistic and therapeutic milieu for the patients to express themselves in unusual, innovative and exciting ways. It also provided an opportunity to apply Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (with exposure and response prevention) by reinforcing the need to produce something potentially imperfect, to embrace mistakes and to deal with dirt and unclean materials. In addition, working on a large scale, collaboratively and within set limitations of space, location, skills, material etc. the ‘working title’ sessions encouraged the patients/collaborators to think, operate and create outside of their habitual ‘boxes’ and to begin to release and give up the overriding need for control that is so much a part of OCD.

The artist is hoping that through this artist residency, exhibition and the approaches she used when making and collaborating, the Seacole service users may become better prepared to master how to tackle unknown and seemingly difficult or impossible situations, materials and practice.

The exhibition storm will showcase and reflect the way in which these collaborations over the last three months have come together. In accordance with the open and indeterminate practices by which it has come into being storm will be an exhibition in constant flux. It will take the form of a stage that will be activated by interventions from actors Marley Brown, Cal Newman and Kelton Hoyland, post-graduate students of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, local school groups and other members of the community.