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Project/initiative|Portugal|Local

Alone, but not alone

Project title

Sozinho, mas não só

Description of initiative

The project idea came from Carolina Caldeira's desire to study in depth the difference between loneliness and solitude, and how these two concepts could be related to insularity.
The aim was to demystify the importance of introspection, from the therapeutic practice of psychological counseling, and together, experience the impact of being geographically isolated on an uninhabited island, contemplating the natural processes around and within themselves. The experience took place on the Selvagens Islands, between August and September 2021, and lasted 18 days, with the support and collaboration of the IFCN, Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation. The project has been financed by the Portuguese Partnership Support Program- Art and Mental Health ( DGARTES ), a team of Mental Health professionals (Rumo) and two visual artists ( André Moniz Vieira and Juliana Lee. Portuguese Partnership Support Program - Art and Mental Health.

Further information on the initiative

Themes: Culture and...

Individual well-being
Mental health
Quality of spaces and built environments

Keywords

solitude, loneliness, coping activities

Target group

Not targeted to a specific group

Cultural field

Multimedia, new media, digital | Visual arts | Writing

Budget

€5.000

Timeframe

2021 - 2021

Sources of funding

DGArtes-Partnership Support Program - Art and Mental Health

Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt

After the 18th days of artistic residence on the island, the three artists are sharing their experience. Together, they tried to understand the contours of the lived insularity and the impact that geographic isolation had on the life of the group. They photographed with analog and digital cameras, each with their own reading and with complete freedom of interpretation.
Another tangible result of the project is the first S.O.S Manual in Portuguese language for situations of stress, anxiety and panic, and based on real situations. It was created from the experience of monitoring a team of Nature Watchers who periodically carry out stays of 15 days (approximately) in one of the most remote places in our country – in the Selvagens Islands . Together with a team of psychologists from the Rumo platform , the instructions presented here are intended to help us get out of unpleasant situations, and can make all the difference in our lives

Organizer(s)

Carolina Caldeira
Portugal
Private / Business | Culture

Partner(s)

IFCN – Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza, IP-RAM
Portugal
RUMO
Portugal
Private / Business | Health
André Moniz Vieira
Portugal
Other | Culture
Juliana Lee
Portugal
Other | Culture