As part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, we’ve been invited by Arts Culture Health Wellbeing Scotland to host an online panel conversation to discuss our new strand of work focussing on art, displacement & mental health.
For this online event, we will be in discussion with creative wellbeing practitioner Vicky Inam Mohieddeen and playwright and screenwriter Mariem Omari, both of whom are based in Scotland. Together we will reflect on the role that art can play in having a positive impact on the wellbeing and mental health of sanctuary seekers when working in creative settings. We’ll explore the transformative role of art and discuss support structures needed to ensure that artists feel fully resourced, supported, and equipped to continue their impactful work.
About the Artists
Mariem Omari is a playwright, screenwriter, and Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Bijli Productions. Her productions are described as “political, sensitive, and compelling,” often confronting societal taboos. Mariem left Australia for her father’s homeland in the Middle East to work as a humanitarian. This inspired her commitment to promoting stories that strengthen the voice for equality. Her next move was to her mother’s homeland, Scotland, where she has been working closely with ethnically diverse communities. She was one of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Starter for 10, selected to develop her play, One Mississippi, which showcased at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2017, and toured nationally in 2022. She had three plays commissioned in 2019 – The Trojans, performed by Syrian Refugees; Paper Memories, 2019 National Puppetry and Animation Festival; and Walkin’ the Line, which was part of SMHAF 2019. In 2021 she was commissioned by BBC Scotland to create Breaking Point – a series of five short monologues for radio and digital platforms based on the stories from One Mississippi. She is currently developing her first feature for Young Films and BBC FILM, and is working on a documentary about the making of One Mississippi.
Vicky Inam Mohieddeen is a Scots Lebanese creative wellbeing practitioner and HCPC registered Drama Therapist. Vicky has over 15 years experience facilitating and producing creative community projects in China, India and the UK. Utilising story, myth, movement and art-making, Vicky creates spaces for people to explore challenging feelings and experiences through creativity. She has created projects for organisations including National Theatre of Scotland, British Red Cross, Historic Environment Scotland, Safe in Scotland, Amina MWRC, NHS Borders and Dundee Rep’s Dramatherapy department.
Book Tickets
This is a free event, you can book your place here.
This event is produced by Arts Culture Health Wellbeing Scotland as part of The Scottish Mental Health and Arts Festival.
Photo Credits: Shona Goolabi
