The Art of Mental Illness by Josephina Bonetto

The concept of disability and Second Life is not an alien one. There are many
residents making a contribution in-world who have real life physical, mental
and learning disabilities, whether they openly admit it or not. Second Life can
be particularly useful for people suffering from mental health conditions,
because it enables them to participate without fear of stigma or judgement.
An unfortunate by-product of any disability can be reduced self esteem and a
distorted self image, this is particularly true in cases of mental illness. It is
also true that there are people with mental health issues who are “out” in
Second Life but not “out” in real life, for fear of discrimination.

I was lurking on the Second Life Forums last week, when I stumbled on a post
by Danny Noyes. Danny was introducing his art gallery and project, The Art
of Mental Illness or T.A.M.I. Danny has been a Second Life resident since
2006, and decided to play a part in redressing the balance for people who
suffer from mental health conditions, people who often have artistic talent that
goes unrecognised. I contacted Danny in-world and arranged a time for a
tour and a chat. While the gallery has not had an official launch party yet, it
opened in March 2011. Danny has been working seriously as a real life artist
for the last 8-years, but has also suffered from Bipolar Affective Disorder with
Suicidal Ideation for approximately 10-years, with many of those years
undiagnosed, unsupported and untreated.

Mental health conditions, such as Bipolar Affective Disorder (formerly Manic

Depression) are commonly treated with prescription medications, sometimes
in conjunction with non drug based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy and Meditation. There are people living with conditions such as
Bipolar Affective Disorder who hold down full time jobs, but doing so would not
be easy. The Art of Mental Illness is a non profit organisation, which also
provides a meditation and yoga area, named Wisdom of Perl and regular
support groups. The idea is to create a safe, supportive environment, to
enable people with mental health issues to develop their art, and escape from
the stresses of their real life existence at the same time. There is a particular
emphasis on giving users of T.A.M.I the opportunity to develop an online
presence that enables them to sell their art in both worlds.

Danny gave me a tour of his own exhibits, explaining to me how the individual
pieces came into being and also described upcoming exhibits, such as an
exhibition of prim sculpts by Chuckmatrix Clip. The Art of Mental Illness does
not take a fee or commission from the artists that exhibit there but instead,
seeks to provide a platform, within a supportive setting, to exhibit, discuss and
encourage residents with artistic passion who suffer with mental health
issues. Long term, The Art of Mental Illness would like to be in a position
where benefactors or patrons can assist them in their quest to improve the
real life exposure of artists with mental health issues, and it also produces a
monthly magazine offering more detail about the work they do, with
advertising space available.

You can find The Art of Mental Illness in-world at Saphira (56, 222, 85) and
you can read the magazines here:
http://www.theartofmentalillness.com.au/thegallery.html

For more information contact Danny Noyes in-world or via email at:
dannynoyes@theartofmentalillness.com.au