One in six of us will consult our doctor this year about a psychological or emotional problem. Mental illness touches us all. On Saturday from 1pm to 5pm Restore, in Cowley Road, Oxford, is staging an exhibition of exquisite cloth dolls from different ethnic backgrounds. They will be accompanied by information promoting awareness of mental health and mental illness, and the stigma that so often accompanies the latter.
The afternoon is being run by The Charlie Walker Memorial Trust, a charity that promotes positive mental health, and Textiles for All, an inclusive East Oxford-based group that meets on a regular basis to sew and make. Over an eight-month period the ten-strong group worked on Dolls that Teach, each accompanied by a short monologue in which the doll offers help and challenges stigma.
The Health Care Worker (above) — a doll whose managerial status is clear and whose clinical role is reinforced by the clipboard she carries — assures us that she respects dignity and involves service users and their families in treatment plans.
Other dolls on display include The Patient, a seated figure with a determinedly hopeful but very vulnerable air about her, and The Journalist, whose easy manner and ready camera appear at odds with his stated commitment to avoid stereotypes and sensation.
The making of the dolls has been led by Fran Ziyenge whose consummate needlework skill and eye for detail has led to the creation of a wonderful collection and an exhibition that is both challenging and thought provoking.
This free event on Saturday is open to all. There will be a short talk by Trevor Lowe of the Charlie Walker Memorial Trust at 2pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article