Discussion: Going Through Some Things – Mental Wellbeing in the Long Pandemic Standby

The effects of the pandemic over the mental wellbeing of many people have been stark. Alongside anxieties around the health of people and planet and the concrete fears of impoverishment in the current economic crisis, lockdown measures also took away most chances to be with one’s networks of support in co-presence. For many, the time in isolation provided a reminder that engaging with arts and culture is a crucial component of self and collective care. And yet, creative ecosystems of production and circulation have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, largely neglected by public policies and with many practitioners left to find their own ways of coping with a devastated institutional landscape. In this conversation, we will reflect on the ways in which alternative approaches to mental healthcare and creative practice can create models of action to oppose the neoliberal tendency of abstracting mental health from social and political life, making it a private matter. Developed by Valeria Graziano and moderated by Tomislav Medak from Pirate Care, this conversation includes writer and critic Agata Pyzik, electronic musician Uwe Schmidt, members of Power Makes Us Sick collective and activist and researcher pantxo ramas with guest performance by Accademia della Follia.

Presented with Pirate Care, a transnational research project and a network of activists, scholars and practitioners who stand against the criminalization of solidarity & for a common care infrastructure.

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This event is free of charge, but you can support it and donate here.