Shorelines Symposium: place, creativity and wellbeing

This one day academic symposium was held on Tuesday 15th November 2011 at the Maclaurin Gallery, Ayr, Scotland and was a collaboration between Cardiff Metropolitan University, South Ayrshire Council and the University of the West of Scotland. The aim of the symposium was to explore interconnections between creative spaces or locations and physical and emotional wellbeing. It brought together a multidisciplinary audience of researchers, academics and arts practitioners to explore the significance of place in the creative process and its potential to enhance the quality of human experience.

Keynote presentations were given by Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author and psychiatrist, and Chris Drury, land artist.

Academic paper and visual presentations addressed the themes of:

 

  • Place: stimulating locations, creative spaces, geographical inspiration

 

  • Creativity: creative process in the visual arts, music, literature, poetry and drama with focus on stimulation, inspiration, innovation and cognition related to physical spaces and location

 

  • Wellbeing: physical and mental health and connections with creative process and physical location, spaces or places

 

The symposium audience included practitioners, researchers and students from diverse disciplines including the arts, architecture, psychology, health, environmental aesthetics, philosophy and education from around the world. Delegates came from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the UK.