BipolArt
BipolArt was a project that enabled people with bipolar (manic-depressive) illnesses to present their creative work free of charge through an internet platform , works of fine arts (paintings, graphics, drawings, sculptures, etc.), literature (poetry, prose ) and music. On the website, people who are affected by this disease had the opportunity to upload their works (images, photos, texts, music or short films) free of charge and in this way to show their creativity in public. BipolArt was discontinued by the operators in 2011 for personal reasons: The couple apparently had two of their three children after the documentary "Again and again roller coaster. Life between mania and depression.", In which they had openly reported about the woman's bipolar disorder been taken away by the authorities.
background
People with bipolar diseases are said to have increased creativity. Many artists suffered and still suffer from bipolar disorder. Apparently there is a connection between the predisposition to extreme mood swings and particular creativity and artistic expression. For example, the life and illness paths, but also the achievements of Robert Schumann and Vincent van Gogh are shaped by bipolar disorder.
intention
The BipolArt project has set itself the task of highlighting this unusually large creativity potential of people with bipolar disorder under the motto “Art between black and white” as a positive aspect of this disease. In addition, the BipolArt project would like to contribute to countering the destigmatization of mentally ill people in the population and to stimulate a discussion of the manic-depressive illness and those affected through art, prose and poetry. With this project, on the one hand, the enormous creative power of people with bipolar diseases should be presented to a broad public. It should be shown that these people are an asset to our society.
The initiators: "Many" normal "people find it difficult - often out of ignorance - to find access to mentally ill people. Art can be a way to shed light on the darkness. Our vision is to establish a worldwide network of artists with bipolar disorder, regardless of whether they practice their art professionally or are "only hobby artists". Bundling this concentrated creative power and conveying it to the public is a matter of great concern to us. "
reception
The website BipolArt received the Future Prize of the German Society for Bipolar Disorders (DGBS) in 2007 . The patronage of the homepage was taken over by the well-known American psychiatry professor Kay Redfield Jamison , who herself has a bipolar disorder. The works that the artists present on the homepage were partly used as illustrations for articles in specialist journals. A documentary about people with bipolar disorder was filmed on behalf of the TV broadcaster Arte , which reports on the project and its work. The film Again and again roller coaster - life between mania and depression by Thomas Gill and Birgitta Schülke was broadcast on Arte on January 15, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.
Books illustrated by artists on BipolArt
- Patrick E. Jamieson, Moira A. Rynn: Mind Race. A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Bipolar Disorder. Oxford University Press, New York 2006, ISBN 0-19-530905-7 .
- Florian Gottesleben: Black bile. Depression - testimonial and guide. Books on Demand, 2006, ISBN 3-8334-6554-9 .
Web links
- http://www.bipolart.de/ ( Memento from January 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ raspberry's blog entry from March 18, 2011, accessed on December 13, 2014
- ↑ German Society for Bipolar Disorders (Ed.): Between Art and Illness, Life and Suffering by Robert Schumann and Vincent van Gogh, in: Early detection and early intervention in bipolar disorders. Reports and interviews. 8th Annual Conference of the German Society for Bipolar Disorders V., Dresden / 11. – 13. September 2008, p. 2.
- ↑ Award of the DGBS Future Prize 2007, press release (PDF)
- ↑ http://www.bipolart.de/ ( Memento from January 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Homepage of www.bipolart.de, accessed on November 10, 2009.
- ↑ Description of the BipolArt project on the website of the "German Society for Bipolar Disorders" from November 9, 2009