Art and nature have long been used as tools to aid personal wellbeing. With everyone's personal wellbeing taking somewhat of a dip recently, Melbourne's McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery saw itself in the position of being able to offer both art and nature, albeit remotely.
Inspired Minds is an art and wellbeing series developed by the park in collaboration with mental health experts the Mind Room. The series examines how art and nature (both of which the Langwarrin park has in spades) can have a positive impact on mental health, using "sculptural meditation" videos inspired by the park's art and environment.
The first two episodes in the six-part series have been released and feature two of the park's best-known sculptures. In 'On Connection' at-home audiences can enjoy a meditation featuring Phil Price's 'The Tree of Life' (a giant, otherworldly eucalyptus tree), while in 'On Permanence' you'll meditate while watching footage of Dean Colls 'Rex Australis – The King is dead, long live the King' (a large, rust-coloured merino ram skull).
Each video runs for roughly four minutes and features aerial footage of the sculptures overlaid with soothing nature sounds and meditation guidance from the Mind Room psychologist and co-founder Jo Mitchell. Maybe it's the six-odd months of isolation talking, but the videos are genuinely relaxing and evoke the tranquillity of the park.
McClelland Sculpture Park director Lisa Byrne says the videos were devised in response to the significant effect the pandemic was having on mental health. "We believe the combination of art, environment and meditation can provide a positive relief and inspiration for our community," she says.
"We want to inspire audiences and help them to – quite literally – take some height with aerial drone views of key sculptures accompanied by the guided meditation, presenting a discovery of the park through another angle, and possibly a discovery of themselves.”
The Inspired Minds meditation videos are available free online through the McClelland Sculpture Park website.