King's College London

Arts in Mind festival from 4-10 June 2018 connected King's local communities with the work of researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN).

The festival featured over 30 exhibitions, performances, screenings and workshops. Topics explored were as diverse as psychological wellbeing in pregnancy, to music and images as mood enhancers, showcasing work that explores new ways to improve wellbeing and facilitate a better understanding of mental health, the brain and the mind.

Highlights included Cerebral City, exploring the affinities between the structure of the brain and the landscape of the city and My Memory Forest, a story-reading and art session for children aged 6-8 years.

In Sound Mind, a unique concert and virtual reality experience, the audience were invited to lie down and immerse themselves in the music of Pärt, Cage & Riley while viewing psychedelia-inspired visuals through VR headsets, stimulating creativity and wellbeing through a very special audiovisual experience at St John the Divine Church in Camberwell. In a separate workshop led by pianist Christina McMaster, participants were invited to join a scratch orchestra workshop to explore and perform Terry Riley’s In C.

Other festival events included Urban Mind, demonstrating how a smartphone app can be used to record and reflect on how our mental health is affected by the experience of city living and Kitchen Revolution, an intimate evening of dinner, debate and dissent curated by Belarus Free Theatre.