The story of the camera, a case study of an art therapy large group

Abstract

This article presents a research-based case study on the Art Therapy Large Group on a MA training in Art Psychotherapy, a group that has a similar role to the large group in a therapeutic community. The group situates itself between a large verbal group, an art therapy group and performance art. Photographs, taken as part of the research by staff and students during four consecutive sessions of the group, are presented and related to: a written narrative of the group, to a staff recorded discussion and to notes from a student focus group. The method is an iterative process, moving between the verbal and visual that parallels the process of the group itself. The group revolves around responses to the camera, telling a story of power, gender and desire. The findings are three-fold: firstly, that art making and performance are thinking process in themselves and containing of affect; secondly, questions are raised about the nature of dialogue in group analytically based large groups which is here extended to include the material and the physical; lastly, dominant thinking on educational methods is questioned.