Cultural Heritage in Action for Mental Health
Duration: 28 April – 11 May 2024
Scientific Supervisor: Giulia Mezzalama
Project Type: Bank Foundation Contribution from a competitive call
PoliTO Role: Project Partner
Healing Heritage 2024 is a collaborative workshop conceived by MinD Mad in Design and the Politecnico di Torino – DIST, in collaboration with the CCW Cultural Welfare Centre. It took place from May 8 to 11, 2024, at the Lavanderia a Vapore in Collegno and the Castello del Valentino in Turin.
The project explores the potential of cultural heritage as a resource for mental health, focusing on the former psychiatric hospital complex of Collegno, now home to the Dance Residency Center. The workshop engaged university students, young people followed by mental health services, witnesses of psychiatric hospital history, and former nurses in a co-creation process aimed at reinterpreting places and memories connected to mental health.
Through artistic practices, co-mapping activities, interviews, and moments of dialogue, participants activated a collective narrative intending to symbolically transform spaces marked by suffering into places of inclusion, expression, and well-being.
The method, developed by MinD through years of experimentation, is recognized at the European level and included among the best practices of the Voices of Culture and CultureForHealth projects.
Workshop Objectives
- Promote mental health through cultural engagement and active participation.
- Reduce stigma and foster a new perception of places connected to mental health.
- Activate inclusive and relational processes in heritage sites.
Expected Results
- Production of creative projects that reinterpret and enhance the spaces of the former Collegno psychiatric hospital.
- Strengthening the sense of belonging, listening, and collaboration among participants.
- Raising public awareness of the relationship between culture and mental health.
- Development of replicable tools and practices for other cultural and social-health contexts.
Involved Structure
- DIST, Interuniversity Department of Science, Design, and Territorial Policies
- DAD, Department of Management and Production Engineering
Partners
- MinD Mad in Design Association
- CCW Cultural Welfare Centre
- Il Bandolo
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin
- Fondazione Lavanderia a Vapore
Location
- Castello del Valentino
- Lavanderia a Vapore, former Collegno Psychiatric Hospital
Project Team
- Giulia Mezzalama (DIST), Scientific Supervisor, Researcher RtdB
- Elena Varini (UNiTO), Scientific Supervisor, Contracted Psychologist
- Giulia Sala, Architect and Urban Planner, Senior Project Manager
- Irene Tozzi, Designer, Junior Project Manager
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
3. Good health and well-being
4. Quality education
10. Reduced inequalities