Designed to Make a Difference

Visualising Mental Health

Kerry Packer Civic Gallery Exhibition

Exhibition dates: Wednesday 12 October - Friday 4 November

Gallery open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm (Thursdays until 7pm)
Hawke Building level 3, UniSA City West campus, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide

Mental ill health is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Psychologists along with other mental health professionals play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of mental ill health. One of the ongoing challenges psychologists face in doing this is communicating important mental health concepts to the wider community. It was this challenge that led Dr Gareth Furber to make contact with matchstudio to discuss how psychologists could collaborate with emerging designers to create engaging and informative mental health education materials for the general public.

Facilitated by matchstudio, this exhibition presents the culmination of a 12 week co-design project between UniSA’s third year Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) students and psychologists from the Psychology and Health Forum.

Led by course coordinator Doreen Donovan and tutors Daniel Purvis, Chris Thornton, and adjunct mentor Rita Siow, student design teams were briefed by members of the Psychology and Health Forum and tasked to develop concepts and design prototypes of visual communication tools that would assist clinical psychologists communicate with clients and the general public about the following topics:

• What do we mean by "quality of life"?
• What is experiential avoidance and how does it affect us?
• What is the difference between psychologists and psychiatrists?
• How can I proactively manage stress and maintain wellness in order to buffer myself against life's difficulties?
• What is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and how can I apply it in my daily life?
• What is with feelings? How do I know what normal emotions are and how should I deal with them?

Established in 2010, matchstudio has become recognised as an inspiring studio based model for activating the nexus between teaching and learning and research, and facilitating problem based learning projects with industry and community.

Working in matchstudio, students have the opportunity to work on a diverse range of projects which provide them with a unique opportunity to develop skills that support their transition from university to the professions.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and Art, Architecture and Design: matchstudio.

While the views presented by speakers within the Hawke Centre public program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University of South Australia or The Hawke Centre, they are presented in the interest of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of: strengthening our democracy - valuing our diversity - and building our future.

The copying and reproduction of any transcripts within the Hawke Centre public program is strictly forbidden without prior arrangements.

A thematically linked multi-media Exhibition, these artworks reflect on different concepts and themes surrounding the title ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’, either in practice or in idea.

Art is an integral part of Catherine House’s work, and aims to provide women experiencing homelessness with creative opportunities to tap into their unknown artistic gifts and talents. Offering art is also in keeping with Catherine House’s mission, whose outcomes include, among others, providing opportunities to clients to develop their personal well-being and build a meaningful and satisfying life.

Building on past events from 2010 and 2013, CHart 2016 is the most ambitious to date. The exhibition includes multimedia displays, and is the first involving artist and instructor Ava Leitner.  Follow CHART on Facebook to hear how the exhibition is unfolding.