We’ve never talked more about it, yet data is showing us that more and more people are having issues with their mental health (Mind, 2022). Exactly how are we critiquing the systems in which issues of care and mental health have arisen? We predominantly live in a neoliberal system, which arguably, has reduced ‘wellbeing by promoting a sense of social disconnection, competition and loneliness’ ( Tiong Tan & Shajahan, 2022) .

Has mental health been romanticised? Is care ostracised? Has our pain become our pleasure? Pathologized and medicalised? This symposium seeks to explore the perceptions of mental health and care in contemporary cultures. How should the responsibilities of care and mental health be shared between individuals and the state? How are the new digital environments we inhabit impacting our human experiences? Can any part of our lives not be touched by capitalism; when does the relational become transactional?

Please join us on the 4th May for a series of talks that examine HOW we have conversations about care and mental health; and most importantly HOW these conversations can lead to systemic change and action upon these said issues. We will have a series of practioners, ranging from artists to therapists to educators.

Alongside this series of talks there will be a pop-up exhibition from artists across the country.

Attendance to this event is free, but please ensure a place and let us know that you are coming by booking a ticket.