Destigmatising self-injury through art

Through a series of participant-led art workshops, Reading researchers are raising important questions about how we understand and talk about self-injury.

Seventeenth-century representations of self-injury in literature and art suggest that modern attitudes towards what is now considered a pathological behaviour are very different from those of the early modern period.

By encouraging exploration and discussion of how the motivations, representations, and social attitudes surrounding self-injury have changed throughout history, a project led by Dr Alanna Skuse is informing new models of patient engagement with at-risk groups.

In collaboration with Associate Professor Tina O’Connell who runs Reading’s ArtLab, Skuse devised a series of ​​workshops to bring together co-researchers from different academic backgrounds, cultures, and age groups, all of whom had a professional interest in – or lived experience of – self-injury.

Skuse and O’Connell worked with psychiatry professionals to create an atmosphere of trust during the workshops, facilitating open discussion between participants as they reflected on their personal experiences of self-injury through a range of artistic and creative techniques from clay modelling to digital animation.

The findings from the project are being used as the basis for a new academic monograph by Dr Skuse, while the artworks created during the workshops are being displayed as part of a digital exhibition to demonstrate how art-led, humanities-informed models can be used to discuss and destigmatise self-injury in both clinical and community settings.

“Really enjoyed the workshops. They were challenging in a positive way, and a space was created in which it was possible to be vulnerable. Having the art as an outlet helped facilitate this. Thank you for getting me involved!” Workshop participant

Team: Alanna Skuse and Tina O’Connell

In partnership with The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust