Art Moves- Rekindle Children’s Hearts with Arts
-A Case Study of How Arts Help Heal Earthquake Survivors in Sichuan, China
Evelyna Liang KanHealing and Relieving Through Arts Education
Art for All, Hong Kong, China
Qingchuan, Sichuan, China2 pm May 12, 2008,
a heavy earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale happened in Sichuan China.
Ten of thousands were killed , and many more were injured….
Networking
• Seek local partners that share same vision
co-operation and
approval from local authorities
and schools
Support and understanding from local communities
Arts activities in ruins• On our first visit, we did training and helped to set up a children
activities centre, where they can have tutorial lessons as well as arts and games. Because most of the schools are in ruins and whole communities are living in tents and temporary container huts, the atmosphere there was quite depressed and uncertain.
Art – to release pressure and sooth the mind,to rebuild and reconstruct commitment to the community in times of
crisis
Bring in joy and relief with art, music and puppetry
Games - for ice breaking and build mutual trust
Create music together –bring out joy, in the moment…
一歡
rhythm and beats – for team’s spirit and pressure release
hand puppets –creativities and role play
Build self resilience through various art activities
To establish close relationships and cherish understanding and support
Teambuilding
Train young volunteers as leader, big brothers and sister for the young
cultural variety show by youth volunteers
after two day’s workshop, (a total of about 5 hours)
the youth volunteers created a performance consisted of
original song, poetry reading ,a big mural and short play
小草
摩天嶺上的小草很堅強因為有太陽 還有月亮的愛狂風暴雨突然來臨搖呀搖小鳥的翅膀 被打濕了小鳥小草是英雄不怕風和雨打痛了我身體 打不動我的心小鳥和小草互相安慰昂起頭 喚彩虹彩虹說: 不怕不怕不怕我們同在一起對生活有了希望
The little grass in Mountain Mo-tienare strong
cause there’s love from the Sun and the Moon
suddenlythere’s black thunder storm
blowing hard and awaylittle bird’s wings soaked wet
The little grass and little bird are heroes
not scare of the storm and rain‘the storm may beat on our bodies, but never can they move our souls’
The little bird and little grass encourage and support each other
They lift up their headscry out to the rainbow
Rainbow replies: Do not be afraid,not to afraid
when you are togetherWe have Hope to Life
We are together…
To Paint the Rainbow WishesTo Paint the Rainbow Wishes
Rainbow over our Heads-Our Wish, Our Dreams
With our Hands, we Create our Future
Stories collect, memories recall –let darkness (wounds) surface and deal with it in the open, in a safe and loving environment
Train the Trainer
• How to conduct arts activities in a safe environment.• To be sensitive and be ‘at the movement’ with the
community.• How to use art to confront our inner feeling, be it painful
memories or happy moment.• To be able to reclaim our own innate capacity as human
being for creative expression, be it of an individual or collective human experience in artistic forms.
• To establish and cultivate a deeper inner connection with self, in peace
Circle painting
Color, lines and love• – a self exploration exercise to find out ones feeling towards those
you remember through color and rhythm, then composing prose together for further enhancement.
• ‘Love as Guidance’• “Bless you, for love, to understand oneself more• Bless you, for love; you’ll be with your friend forever • Good fortune and happiness upon you • Bless you for being the greatest mom • Here, may your wishes come true cause there’s LOVE”
•
Story telling and interactive play followed by self envisioning drawing
Interactive drama/performance on a real life theme from the
local community
Create dances to the music that the children composed
Composed songs and give voices to dreams
Community mural painting and art installation at different village schools
“Our village is hurt…we have to wait for our houses to be rebuild…what can we do…?……………………………….
“
A moving art installation with songs and dance
In all our projects, we see that everybody is
important
• and the feeling of lost is not just you and you alone. We use art as an intervention for a message ‘Love Life and Live’
Fear and hurt were being dealt with in the open, with the support from each other
A communal celebration of unity and fun began with the self-healing process.
….. In their own creation
whether it is in art, music, dance or drama, all works towards one goal: that the obstacle in their future life, with the group’s effort, can be faced easily. These children can all bravely step forward to their challenges ahead with support from each other.
Spread the news to other communities…….
Sharing and demonstration
Exhibition and performances
more educational workshops….
….to built
…a holistic community
…….the end