Video Installation Art as a Platform for Promoting Mental Health Awareness

Introduction

Installation art is a design that includes an arrangement of objects in a space to create an artwork. This conformation of substances might include different visual arts such as paintings, sculptures, crafts and other artefacts (Hall et al., 1990; Rush, 1999; Zheng & Zhang, 2021). Whilst there are different types of installation art, this research specifically focused on Video Installation Art. Video installation art is a contemporary media art form that combines video technology with installation art, making use of all aspects of the surrounding environment to affect the audience (Bishop, 2005; Hall et al., 1990; London, 1995; Saaze, 2013).

The name ‘Installation art’ became popular from 1960s to 1970s. Meanwhile, video art either abstract or narrative was also gaining the momentum due to the development of the new video technology. This led artists to explore the combination of installation art and video art; hence the ‘video installation’ was born (Bishop, 2005).

In this case, the researcher having realized a gap in video installation art in Zimbabwe, he created an original video installation art project, ‘The Besiegement – Advocating Mental Health’. It is a fusion of metaphoric artefacts and two 10-minute short films depicting some details of existing mental illnesses, possible causes and symptoms.

Figure 1.

The Besiegement video installation art work in progress

The main objective of the project is to probe the efficiency of installation art as a worthy medium to raise an effective mental health awareness in Zimbabwe. The designer analyzed the audiences’ reception and views on the installation art experience in locating its probabilities and complications.

The Besiegement was exhibited for different age groups in some venues in Zimbabwe so to analyse its effectiveness as a media for empowerment. Most importantly as potential platform to raise awareness on mental health issues in the nation.

The project was launched at the First Floor Art gallery, Karigamombe centre in Harare on 8 March 2019. From mid to end of March, additional exhibitions were held for students at the University of Zimbabwe Beithall where about 1000 students visited.

Then from 22 – 25 May 2019, the exhibition was staged at the prestigious Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo. At ZITF, 937 audience members visited the stand including dignitaries such as cabinet ministers. More exhibitions were held during the University of Zimbabwe research week from 3 to 9 August 2019. Therefore, the project designer/researcher was bestowed with the ‘creative excellence award’ for the design work of this unique multimedia art production.

Figure 2.

The Besiegement video installation art project exhibition at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair

Background

It is in response to the need to investigate on mental health facts that the researcher designed the video installation to add on already exploited developmental communication implements. There are a plentiful academics who have already contributed in social development in Zimbabwe using arts. For example, Chivandikwa & Muwonwa, (2013) have written extensively about Participatory Theatre for Development. Chikonzo, (2018) has also written about the role of performance arts in a society and Ravengai, (2011) also analysed how Studio263 was used as a pro-development television soap opera on ZBCTV (Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporations Television) from 2002 and got pulled off air in 2007.