Where it's OK to be yourself

[1] None So Blind, a ceramic work by Barry P. at Artsenta.
Hannah (not her real name) knows the stigma of being labelled mentally ill.

"Some people think when you have a mental illness you don't have any intelligence, which is really frustrating," she said.

A surveyor and part-time student, she has been coming to Artsenta for six and a-half years.

It helped her get back on her feet so she could continue her studies and took her back when she became ill again, she said.

"When I was really unwell last year, I had professional help, but that's half an hour at the doctor, so for the rest of the time this is somewhere to come and people keep an eye on you, which is pretty good because I live by myself.

"It's OK to be unwell here. You don't have to try to hide it. Being at polytech, it's really hard to maintain normalcy and that takes more effort and made me suffer, trying to study and keep up the workload on top of not being well.

"Here it doesn't matter. You can be ill with a stinking headache and it doesn't matter."

For the exhibition, she was knitting a complicated geometrical piece of work that will be reflected in a tubular mirror to show a different geometrical shape.

Earlier, she made a wooden drum kit, tuning the various drums by designing the internal volumes and thickness of timber.

"This place gives you the opportunity to extend your art. I really need challenges and stuff," she said.

"Some people just need someone to give them a felt-tipped pen so they can colour in, and that's OK as well.

"In this place, everyone's equal, which is really important because all of us here have a label, but we don't know what each other's labels are.

"Sometimes it's pretty obvious if they are going round and talking to God or something, but I don't think mental illness defines you, although out of here it does."

She also likes the community aspect of Artsenta.

"A lot of us don't have family here. My family, when they found out I had mental illness, they said they were so ashamed and 'see you later'."

She and the other artists appreciate the birthday parties organised by Artsenta staff, who provide a birthday cake and food and drink of the celebrant's choice.

There is also a ceramic "birthday cake".

"Everyone stands round the table of food and sings you Happy Birthday and that's really nice. It makes a difference because it could be a really lonely difficult day.

"The staff are just so fantastic. They definitely do more than the paperwork says they have to, because they treat each person as an individual and work with you however you need to be worked with."