The Dust of Everyday Life is an annual symposium on the arts, mental health, stigma, and social justice, programmed by the Mental Health Foundation and See Me and expanding on the work of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival.

You can also view the full programme here.

NB: Please only book a ticket if you will definitely be attending since they are in very high demand and there is always a long waiting list once all tickets are claimed.

If you book a ticket and later discover that you are unable to come please let us know well in advance so we can give your ticket to someone on the waiting list.

The Dust of Everyday Life, 20 April 2017 – full programme (some guests still to be announced)

9am to 10am:

Tea, coffee and registration

10am:

Introductions

Performance by Skye Loneragan

10.30-11.30am:

Art in a time of anxiety
CCA theatre

What does it mean to be mentally healthy in the midst of so much anxiety-inducing political and cultural turmoil? And what can artists (and mental health arts festivals) do to help? Kevin Williamson of Neu! Reekie!, Linda Irvine of NHS Lothian, playwright Lynda Radley and more discuss mental health in the age of Brexit and Donald Trump. Chaired by leading cultural critic Hannah McGill.

11.45am to 12.45pm:

PARALLEL SESSIONS - PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND ON THE BOOKING FORM

Hip Hop Psych (parallel session)
CCA theatre

Founded by psychiatrist Dr Akeem Sule and neuroscientist Dr Becky Inkster, Hip Hop Psych describes itself as ‘the interface that links hip-hop music and culture with mental health’, using its founders’ medical credibility and passion for hip-hop to cultivate awareness, empower others and remove stigma surrounding mental health and hip-hop. We are delighted to welcome them to Glasgow to discuss their work.

Framing the Family: personal documentary and mental health (parallel session)
CCA Cinema

What happens when close relations are lead characters not only in your private life, but also feature in your work? Award-winning filmmakers Karen Guthrie, Theresa Moerman Ib and Lucie Rachel join Flore Cosquer of the Scottish Documentary Institute to explore the emotional impact of creating a probing family portrait for the public eye. Chaired by Richard Warden, film lead for the Mental Health Foundation.

12.45pm to 1.30pm:

BREAK (LUNCH NOT PROVIDED BUT THERE ARE SOME GREAT OPTIONS AT CCA OR CLOSE BY)

1.30pm to 2.30pm:

PARALLEL SESSIONS - PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU WULD LIKE TO ATTEND ON THE BOOKING FORM

A conversation with trigger warnings (parallel session)
CCA theatre

Often misunderstood and misrepresented, trigger warnings can be vital for people who have experienced trauma. But is it actually possible to predict what will trigger someone when organising an arts event? Film curator Richard Warden, theatre director Jen McGregor and more share their experiences with cultural critic Hannah McGill.

Living well and dying well (parallel session)
CCA cinema

Is it possible to adopt a more mentally healthy attitude towards our own deaths, and the deaths of those we love? Our guests at this session include Angie Dight of Mischief La Bas, creator of Festival of Ian Smith: A Celebration of Death, and Stephanie Katie Hunter, producer of After Words, a new theatre show about the role social media now plays in the grieving process. Chaired by Andrew Eaton-Lewis, arts lead for the Mental Health Foundation.

2.45pm to 3.45pm:

I caught the darkness: Leonard Cohen, music and depression (parallel session)
CCA theatre

No songwriter has ever described depression with the eloquence and empathy of Leonard Cohen. In tribute to great man, who died in 2016, we are joined by a panel of life-long Cohen fans, including singer Adele Bethel (of Sons and Daughters fame), poet Sean Hunt, and Gail Aldam of the Mental Health Foundation, to discuss his impact on culture, and on the way we talk about mental health.

Chillout Corner chat (parallel session)
CCA cinema

How do we make arts events more accessible to people living with mental ill health? Join Emma Jayne Park, associate artist for the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, Mental Health Foundation arts lead Andrew Eaton-Lewis, and more, to explore some ideas – from Harry Giles’ Chill Out Corner (which you can spend time in throughout the day) to dance performances in people’s living rooms.

4pm to 5pm

Building a social movement in the arts
CCA theatre

The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival is just one of numerous festivals that combine the arts with social justice campaigning. Can these two things co-exist without getting in the way of each other? For our closing session we assemble a panel of experts to discuss where art ends and activism begins.

All day

Helpline by Jenna Watt
First floor balcony

Commissioned for this year’s Declaration Festival, Helpline is a new installation by award-winning theatre-maker Jenna Watt (Faslane, Flaneurs) inspired by how difficult it can be to ask for help with mental health problems.

Chill Out Corner by Harry Giles
CCA upstairs cafe

Chill Out Corner is a project creating alternative forms of socialisation for arts events. It uses autism-centred design principles to create a space that can be used not just by autistic people but by anyone who feels the need to get some quiet, escape, deal with stress, relax, or otherwise chill out in a noisy and hypersocial context. For Dust 2017 we will create a Chill Out Corner in CCA’s upstairs café, based on designs by artist and activist Harry Giles, in consultation with Scottish Autism.

The Dust of Everyday Life 2017