The Transforming Potential of Art and Imagination

The theme of our conference

"The Transforming Potential of Art and Imagination", focuses on the importance of imagination in facilitating art therapeutic change.  The human ability to imagine creates bridges between the past and the future enabling us to understand development and transformation across time. Imagination is also central to mentalization and our ability to deeply understand the experiences of other people and living beings. 

With the help of art, we can transform the inner images into visible art that connects the mental and external worlds and creates potential space for therapeutic change. By using our imagination to construct stories and create images and art of alternative possibilities, we can enrich the present reality and open up space for a holistic therapeutic change on the emotional, relational and procedural level. 

By focusing on the theme of imagination, we also want to honour the unique world of Moominvalley, and the significance of the stories, images and art created by Tove Jansson. The Moomin stories depict a rich array of mental landscapes and experiences of both connection and loneliness. The genuinely permissive and appreciative attitude that the stories cultivate towards different characters, their personalities, life choices and habits, has retained its significance for more than 80 years. The therapeutic potential of Moomin stories in understanding and valuing unique experiences and processes of transformation continues to hit the core of our work as art therapists. 

We are looking forward to receiving proposals of interesting research presentations focusing on the therapeutic possibilities of change in art and imagination, as well as inspiring experiential workshops on the topic.

In collaboration with: