Can you help to create a ground-breaking piece of art in Birmingham?
A group of young people from Birmingham are appealing for help in creating a unique live art installation to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health. Lead by Fixer Joe Gaffney, 24, the group want to use the live installation to educate people, in particular the younger generation, about the true facts of mental health.
Working with Fixers, a charity which supports young people to ‘fix the future’, the live installation, called Miles: My Modern Mental Illness, will take the audience on an interactive journey exploring the life of someone who is experiencing mental health issues. The use of live performance, film sets and abstract art will set this out as a unique, abstract and completely innovative experience for everyone involved.
The Fixers will launch the installation in the city centre in October. In the meantime, they are appealing for anyone who can help by providing materials such as wood or timber or who would like to volunteer their time to get in touch. “The installation will benefit young people by getting them actively involved in the creative process as well as educating them about mental health,” says Joe.
“They will develop an understanding of the stigma attached to mental health problems and engage in dialogue about the common misconceptions that come with being labelled with ill mental health.
“We are targeting the younger generation who we believe are growing up with pre-conceived misconceptions of mental health due to mainstream media misinformation. We need to educate them on the true facts of mental health, and how it can affect them, their family and the people around them.
The Fixers need help to source wood and timber, and would be grateful for any time and expertise local people can offer to help them build and decorate the installation. Fixers coordinator Nithee Kotecha says: “This is a great project because the young people are creatively tackling this problem and getting the local community involved in creating something that will benefit future generations. That is what Fixers’ projects are all about.”
To offer support to this Fixers project, please contact Nithee Kotecha on 07436 265937 or [email protected].
Fixers is a charity which supports young people across the UK to take action and change things for the better, addressing any issue they feel strongly about. How each Fixer tackles their chosen issue is up to them – as long as they benefit someone else.
There are lots more stories about young people doing great things on the Fixers website, Twitter and Facebook pages:
http://www.fixers.org.uk
http://www.twitter.com/FixersUK
http://www.facebook.com/FixersUK
