So what is Eco-Arts Practice and how does it relate to mental health?

Liam Mac Gabhann of Mad In Ireland in conversation with Siobhan Madden, Engaged Eco Artist

‘Ecological Art’ is a genre that emerged in the 1990s but in which was largely influenced by practices which had come in to movement in the 1960s.  Some of the principles and themes which underpin these practices are stewardship of interrelationships, emphatical approach to non-human species, connectivity, ecological and ethical responsibility, exploration of the complexities of life.  As well as the ability to bring awareness and pro-activism to environmental issues, eco-art aims to cultivate joy by drawing upon an instinctual love of life in which an empathic connection with Nature births.  There is a restoration of the body, mind and soul when direct contact and awareness of Nature.  A dialogue occurs where the movement of what crosses you by no longer seems random and meaningless.  Nature’s patterns mirror your internal world and when seeking harmony and cultivating better health for the external environment, naturally this occurs inside the human body too, for we are the space we are in, and we are interconnected with all of Nature.  When engaging with nature materials like nettle cordage, felted wool or wild clay, it brings a directness to what came before you and empowers you with this recalling, where your body remember a vast language of survival, sustainability and celebration.  Pressing in to clay actually interplays with much deeper neurons in the body which opens new neural pathways in the brain.  Creativity has the ability to heal.  Our instincts naturally tell us to seek green spaces, with shade, food and water.  Our bodies naturally relax in these spaces.  We co-regulate with Nature with the ions of rain, the rhythm of a waving branch, our hands in the soil, the breath of a horse.  Ecological Art is a way of being, an approach and a call and an action to restore harmony between humans and non-human species.

During the period of 2009-2019,  I worked as both a Special Needs Assistant in the educational system and a Health Care Assistant in a Public Hospital setting which supported my studies and my travels.  I also embarked on a deep healing path beginning with reiki and then to shamanic medicine.  In my memory it is times sitting with intention at a tree in the forest, noticing the shapes of shadows and light dancing, sound and movement of water, a fox, a squirrel or a bird that would catch my attention, that really grounded the big energies that were occurring on this path.  It brought safety, stillness and sanctuary and allowed my body and mind to come out of flight and fright.  This is what brings health. The herd of horses and the way they would signal to move, the sound of their hooves and snorts, the warmth of their breath and rhythm of their large bodies brought me back to my own. My yearly art pilgrimages to a roadless and carless village of Ginostra  with Art to Heart brought heart-centered way of giving space to artmaking in myself and in holding space for others with sensory engagement as a central role.