Daily Life Ltd. project

10 October 2013
Jubilee Square, Brighton

To coincide with World Mental Health Day, Daily Life Ltd. in partnership with The Basement presented a lightbox exhibition to reflect on what terms such as ‘wellbeing’, ‘wellness’, and ‘wellbeing zones’ really mean. Taking Bobby Baker’s Diary Drawings as a starting point, Daily Life Ltd. invited Brighton-based artist Jake Spicer, of Draw in Brighton, to lead workshops with a wide range of local arts and mental health groups and consider the intentions and messages of the mental health system and what it means to individuals. Writing about her own experience, Baker recalls the endless lists pinned up in waiting rooms, online and in pamphlets, which suggested things to do to make yourself feel better. ‘I know this was well meant but my friends agreed with me that lists like these can add to one’s sense of failure. They imply that there is a ‘right way to be’, a simple list of actions that will sort your life out’.

The exhibition displayed a selection of Baker’s Diary Drawings on one side of the lightboxes, with collections of drawings made by the workshop participants on the reverse.

Participating groups included Mind in Brighton & Hove, Speak Your Mind: Young People's Advocacy, Mind Me Up: Young People's Participation, LiVE: The Voice of Lived Experience, Art in Mind & Mindfull Art, Grow, Southdown Mental Health Recovery Services, Right Here Brighton & Hove, Allsorts Youth Project , Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project, Brighton Housing Trust: Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.

All Very Well was funded and supported by Arts Council England, Brighton & Hove city Council, The Basement, Jubilee Square arts consortium, Draw Brighton and Cusp Inc.