Art therapy with a view
From awe and wonder to fascination and admiration, looking at beautiful things evokes positive emotions and an art therapy workshop is tapping that high in inspiring participants to express themselves through art.
As part of Singapore Tourism Board’s Wellness Festival 2024, The Red Pencil (Singapore) blends art therapy with tourism experiences through Attraction With Reflection, a curated programme in partnership with Gardens By The Bay, S.E.A. Aquarium and Peranakan Museum.
On June 21, workshop participants toured the Fukusa exhibition at Peranakan Museum and spent almost two hours in art therapy, where qualified art therapists inspired the participants in creating reflective responses to objects and motifs they saw.
In Japan, the practice of formally presenting gifts with embroidered, woven, painted and dyed silk covers called fukusa began in the Edo period (1603–1868).
The exhibition showcases fukusa and related Japanese textiles from the renowned Chris Hall collection.
Ms Susan Lim, one of the workshop participants, "incorporated waves, auspicious coins and overlapping patterns of flowers" into her artwork.
"It's very therapeutic, having my own space, crafting at my own pace – it felt liberating," said the 44-year-old.
"It's also empowering because there's no right and wrong."
Attraction With Reflection Art Therapy still has a workshop at S.E.A. Aquarium on July 13, and at Gardens By The Bay on July 6 and 20. For more information on the workshops, go to redpencil.org/singapore/attraction-with-reflection-art-therapy-workshops
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