Arts Art Therapy – one of the many roles traditional art plays in the digital era

approach] it from an angle of play. It’s not a performance, or result, but more of a process.”

BY JIAWEI HONG STAFF WRITER

The history of art therapy goes back to around the 1700s, when art was being used in various modes of psychological treatment. According to Lois Woolf, founder of the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute, art therapy was first explored in Europe and North America in the 1940s. The study of this subject and human psychology was explored in increasing depth for years.

Unlike art creation, art therapy focuses on the process of art rather than the result.

participants’ self-esteem and self confidence, as well as build relationships and trust through the process of art creation.

As art is a genre of work that embraces different ideologies, art therapy is useful for all kinds of people. It’s an alternative to traditional therapy for people who find it easier to express themselves through an art form rather than speaking to a therapist.

There are more than 30 art hives in Montreal. Traditional arts are spreading internationally into many other fields, like technology, creating endless possibilities for artists everywhere.

GRAPHIC BY CARLEEN LONEY

Créatique:

BY OLIVER ENG // STAFF WRITER

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the music industry hard. With live shows and concerts being canceled, many small performing artists were struggling to make a living. This was the case for French indie musician Dorothée Hannequin, who goes by The Rodeo onstage. Despite the pandemic’s challenges, she has continued to create and release music, and her dedication and passion have kept her going through these difficult times.

Hannequin began her musical career at the age of 15 while she was still in high school. Growing up in Paris, she was influenced at a young age by her uncle, who gave her her first-ever guitar. She credits her Vietnamese and French heritage helping her discover a diverse plethora of music, influencing her love for the indie genre.

“I was really shy as a teenager and I met a bunch of people in high school playing music. It really helped me a lot to get out of my shell. I’m a self taught musician so we started a band playing with all these friends. I wrote a lot of songs and I proposed them to the band,” said Hannequin.

After nine years with her first band Hopper, Hannequin released her debut solo album Tale of Woe under the name The Rodeo in 2014.

When speaking with The Concordian, Hannequin revealed that the indie music scene in France is much smaller than Montreal’s.

In France the main genres of music people listen to are rap and a lot of techno. According to Hannequin, there are around three bars where you can listen to indie music in Paris.

“Everyone knows each other here. So maybe a good thing is that there’s maybe less competition than in bigger cities.”

In June, Hannequin will be on tour in Vietnam, where she will be working on songs with local artists.

Her fourth and latest album, Arlequine, focuses on Hannequin’s struggles throughout the pandemic, isolation and a recent breakup.

When asked if hard times helps artists be more creative, she jokingly replied: “I’d almost recommend that to other artists.”

The pandemic gave her a lot of time to create. Her newest album represents not just Hannequin’s experiences, but also stories, phrases and ideas from things she’s read, watched or observed.

It’s a mix of loose facts and her own life.

“There’s a song on the album about a jealous woman, which I’m not. But it was interesting to have this character on this album. It’s a fictional character, but it’s interesting to be in that skin.”

Hannequin says that she wanted different portraits of different women. “It’s like a harlequin, with different faces of humans or different humans in one outfit.”

She insists that the main driving force for her new album was the feeling of isolation. During the pandemic, artists had a lot of time to create, but could not play live in front of audiences. That was the main joy in Hannequin’s artistic experience: going to concerts and singing in front of a crowd. It’s also why the first song on her new album “Courir Courir Courir” is her favourite. She said:

“It’s my favourite because of the vocals. I feel the words are really powerful and I love the solo part. And I have to admit, it was one take for the solo. There’s no trick,”

During the pandemic, she tried to do what other big artists had done: play a small concert remotely in front of her computer. But the feeling wasn’t the same. “It was a nightmare!” Hannequin said.

“I think now, due to the pandemic people just want to get out and feel the music. The sweat, the heat, the energy. Maybe for techno or folk music, you can be at home. But when you want to have a live show, you have to be there in person.”

Hannequin says that her new album is about feeling better. She loves the uncertainty the future represents and says listening to her new songs should feel like “Imagine taking a ride on a horse to who knows where,” she said.

Stream The Rodeo’s new album Arlequine

The Centre for the Arts in Human Development at Concordia University provides creative art therapy for people with disabilities and special needs, as well as for people with anxiety and depression. Senior associate director Lenore Vosberg says that instead of teaching art skills, the centre helps people express themselves through different art forms.

“It’s a very supportive place. People get a lot of good and positive feedback for everything they do here,” Vosberg said. The centre works to build

The Concordia Art Hive is a public practice art therapy space, located on the first floor of the ER building downtown and on the fourth floor of the central building at Loyola in the G-Lounge. The spaces are accessible to anyone who wishes to achieve self-expression through art. Students sit around a table to communicate with each other while creating their crafts.

Rachel Chainey is an art therapist who coordinates the Art Hive HQ located at Concordia’s downtown campus. She says that one of their challenges is getting people to understand what art therapy is.

“Some people would be intimidated by arts because they think they should be good,” Chainey said. “[But you

Art education student Kaida Kobylka stopped by the Art Hive with the goal of observing art studios in a public space. She explained the process of an AI project that she had explored, in which she had to put the artistic idea first to let it create. “AI can learn and create, but it can’t just make something out of nothing yet,” said Kobylka. “I have to put the artistic thoughts into the input, it isn’t just replacing an artistic mind.”

“Everybody has the crisis when they are an artist, like does what I made matter or would painting exist in the future,” Kobylka said, “but the answer is yes, the paintings are still evolving and relevant.”

Indeed, art has been always seen as a form of self-expression and materialized thoughts throughout the existence of humankind, and this is how traditional art participates in society in a psychological and spiritual way.