A practice-led exploration into the relationship between art and psychosis

The goal of this project was to invent a new way of combining artistic practice (in the studio) with psychopathology. As a sculptor, I aimed to find a novel artistic direction which would allow me to create sculpture, as a practitioner in a Postmodernist context, influenced by psychology and more specifically psychosis. Initially I examined the concept of psychosis both as a medical and psychological condition, by looking at its symptoms, categories, and causes, from ancient times to the present. I also examined psychosis, or mental illness in a more general sense, as a social condition by exploring the effects of institutionalisation, and the upkeep of patients from the ancient times to the present. This served as an introduction to the condition in order to enable me to refer to various of its characteristics (both psychological and social) later on in the study. As a next step I investigated the history of psychotic artistic creation by looking at the establishment of the concept of Psychotic Art, and its psychological bases. I then approached the interrelationship of art and psychosis by looking at the effects of art on psychosis. For this I examined some common artistic characteristics (elements and principles of design, and subject mater) of artwork by patients who were previously (to the onset of the disorder) untrained in art. Following that, I approached the interrelationship from the opposite angle by looking at the effects of psychosis on art, and investigated the artworks of previously trained artists who continued to produce work after the onset of psychosis. The next step was to explore the effects of Psychotic Art on Modernism by looking at the influence it has exerted upon certain Modernist movements (Expressionism, Surrealism, and Art Brut) who I named 'Simulators' of Psychotic Art, and its similarities with other forms of 'marginal' art. With this I introduced the concept of Simulation. Afterwards I examined the Simulation of Psychotic Art by Postmodernist artists and the changes it went through due to the differences in Postmodernist artistic practices. Finally, I adopted certain psychological features of the psychotic condition and, utilising the concept of Simulation, combined them with Postmodernist practices (for example conceptual art) in order to create my own blend of contemporary artistic practice directly linked to psychopathology. It resulted in the creation of a series of descriptions of potential sculptural pieces which were inscribed on walls (and other environmental surroundings) of the educational institution where I undertook the study. This was in fashion with early artistic creation of institutionalised patients (which was also on walls) and placed me in the category of contemporary Simulators of Psychotic Art. The artistic process I have utilised for the creation of the sculptural pieces can ideally be replicated by other contemporary art practitioners in order to create art influenced by other psychopathological or pathological states

DANCE AND COSTUME. FROM THE TRADITION TO PERFORMANCE

According to dance sociologists and anthropologist, folk dance is an aspect of human behaviour, a non-verbal system of communication in which society itself is reflected. Dance, apart from motion, also covers the areas surrounding it: the environment where it occurs and develops, the relationships between the dancers themselves and between the dancers and spectators, the objects used during the performance and even the dancers' costumes. But what was the traditional Greek costume like? The common understanding (Vrelli-Zaxou 1994) is that traditional costume is the costume, which on the one hand defines the identity of an agricultural society and on the other expresses the relationship between an individual and the society. Giselis (1974) writes that the costume is a symbol of the group and not of its wearer's personality, which under pressure may be forced to conform to the communal spirit. It is never easy to distinguish oneself from the community with a costume (Vrelli-Zaxou 1994), since the society itself activates the mechanism of social control and sanctions forcing a possible future innovator to return to the order. The main characteristic of folk costume is that it is generally accepted by the majority (Vrelli-Zaxou 1994). We cannot overlook the fact that the word 'costume', which is a foreign word for the Greek, is derived from the English word 'costume' and its doublet 'custom', which in their turn are derivations of Latin consuetudo 'habit'. All the above is derived from the fact that every place has its own costume. The common distinction by several authors (e.g. Roubis 1995) between the costumes of the inhabitants of mountainous regions and those living on the plains, and also between the costumes of the islanders and the inhabitants of mainland, is no longer valid, as research has proved that a century ago villages distinguished themselves from others with a characteristic costume (Hatzimichali 1925)

The movement assessment battery in Greek preschoolers: The impact of age, gender, birth order, and physical activity on motor outcome

Early identification of possible risk factors that could impair the motor development is crucial, since poor motor performance may have long-term negative consequences for a child's overall development. The aim of the current study was the examination of disorders in motor coordination in Greek pre-school aged children and the detection of differences in motor performance with regards to age, gender, participation in sports and order of birth in the family. Performance profiles on the movement ABC were used to classify 412 Greek children aged 4-6 years old. It appears from the results that the occurrence rate of probable developmental coordination disorders (DCD) was 5.4%. Significant differences were observed in all independent variables except the order of birth in the family. The findings reinforce the need for the evaluation of motor performance in preschool-aged children, in order specific individual motor profiles to be established for optimizing and adapting early intervention programs. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Mood alterations following an indoor and outdoor exercise program in healthy elderly women

Effets d'un programme d'activité physique récréative d'une durée de 12 semaines sur la santé psychique de femmes sédentaires âgées de 60 à 75 ans. Mesure des sentiments et sensations positives (bien-être, vitalité, engagement positif), de la fatigue en fonction du niveau d'activité physique

Epidemiology of school fractures: a 1-year experience in Greek facilitation classes

The purpose of this study was to record bone fractures that were sustained by student-athletes of the Greek Athletic Facilitation Classes (AFC) during a 1-year period. The researchers examined 7455 male and 4921 female student-athletes from September 2006 until May 2007. All fractures were recorded by the Physical Education Teachers of the AFC with the cooperation of orthopaedic doctors, were entered into SPSS and were analysed with the Chi Square non-parametric test. In one year, 129 fractures in total were recorded, and this figure accounted for 11.4% of all injuries sustained by student-athletes of the Greek AFC. Results showed that male student-athletes sustained more fractures than females (67.4% vs. 32.6%, p<0.001). The highest rate of fractures occurred in soccer and basketball, where male student-athletes sustained more fractures than females (78.3% vs. 21.8%, p<0.05). Most injuries occurred in male student-athletes who were residence of the urban region (78.4% vs. 21.6%, p<0.05). Results showed that most fractures occurred during the month of February (χ2=13.12, df=8, p<0.05). The training surfaces on which most fractures occurred was the parquet and the synthetic floor. Overall, fractures of the wrist; metacarpal bones-fingers, and medial-lateral malleollus were the most common injuries observed. Fractures did not require expensive, medical, diagnostic imaging examinations and the total rehabilitation cost in most cases did not exceed 100 Euros

Does a three-month exercise programme enhance the subjective view of mobility level amongst elderly women ?

Une étude visant à évaluer les effets d'un programme d'exercice de douze semaines sur le niveau de performance de 40 femmes âgées sédentaires (de 60 à 75 ans) et à examiner le minimum d'exercice hebdomadaire nécessaire pour produire des changements. Les variables testées - les vingt mouvements quotidiens les plus fréquents - ont été évaluées à partir de l'échelle Likert

Effects of an Autonomy-Supportive Exercise Instructing Style on Exercise Motivation, Psychological Well-Being, and Exercise Attendance in Middle-Age Women

Background: The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an autonomy-supportive intervention based on self-determination theory in influencing perceptions of autonomy support, basic psychological needs, behavioral regulations, subjective vitality, and exercise behavior. Methods: 35 female exercise participants age 30 to 58 years who enrolled to an 8-week exercise program attended 24 exercise classes that were taught using either an autonomy-supportive (n = 19) or a lack of autonomy support (n = 16) instructing style. Results: The experimental group reported an increase in perceived autonomy support, the fulfillment of the needs for autonomy and competence, identified regulation, intrinsic motivation, and subjective vitality. They also reported higher attendance rates during the program and greater participation to moderate and/or mild nonstructured exercise during 5 weeks after the end of the program. The control group reported a decrease in perceived autonomy support, the needs for autonomy and competence, intrinsic motivation, and subjective vitality. Conclusion: The results supported tenets of self-determination theory and highlighted the motivational and psychological benefits of an autonomy-supportive exercise instructing style among middle-age women