Painting outside the lines
| Published date | 15 August 2011 |
| Date | 15 August 2011 |
| Pages | 138-142 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/20428301111165726 |
| Author | Carol Prendergast,Poonam Swan |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Painting outside the lines
Carol Prendergast and Poonam Swan
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share the empowering journey of Kim Noble, an artist who has
Dissociative Identity Disorder, a condition formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder.
Design/methodology/approach – An overview of the social inclusion aspects of Kim Noble’s artistic
projects are explored via a detailed interview.
Findings – Far from being just a creative tool for self-expression, art is a powerful means of regaining
control as a service user and of connecting members of the public who would not ordinarily unite.
Originality/value – Valuable for commissioners and service users to see how arts can promote
recovery, all other material on this artist has concentrated only on her condition and not how art has
promoted social inclusion.
Keywords Arts, Social inclusion, Dissociative identity disorder, Recovery, Creativity, Empowerment
Paper type Viewpoint
As members of a service user and carers group known as ResearchNet, Carol Prendergast
and Poonam Swan want to share the story of the painter Kim Noble, a very interesting person
with a very unusual condition. Kim has used her art in a highly creative and empowering way,
and this paper describes the journey that she has taken along with her daughter Aimee. The
profile of Kim below is based upon an interview with mother and daughter, and reflectsboth
their opinions:
My work comes from my heart and it’s I suppose full of emotion. I know it’s not wonderful and
people can find fault with it, but it’s about us and part of us is on that canvas.
These poetic words were eloquently expressed by the artist Kim Noble. There is perhaps no
better person to illustrate the aims of social inclusion than this highly talented, extremely
articulate woman, a woman who just happens to have DID. This stands for dissociative
identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
Kim claims that her art has given her a connection with the other personalities that co-exist
inside her body:
Art has brought us together – the other personalities and myself. I have got to know them through
their artwork because I never physically see them.
However, art is not only used as a creative tool for self-expression. At one stage in her life,
Kim ran an art group at Springfield Hospital as artist-in-residence. For Kim, it was all about
‘‘giving something back to the community’’. Kim described an extremely relaxed scene
where everyone was ‘‘sitting with music, tea and coffee’’. Painting provided the people in this
group with a focus and a coping strategy within a supportive environment (Figure 1).
Kim has found it beneficial to her own wellbeing to be on the helping end of recovery as well
as on the receiving end. She describes the art group as ‘‘a really positive experience’’ and
feels that group members were able to relate to her better because of her experience
PAGE 138
j
MENTAL HEALTHAND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
VOL. 15 NO. 3 2011, pp. 138-142, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308 DOI 10.1108/20428301111165726
Carol Prendergast and
Poonam Swan are both
Volunteer Researchers,
ResearchNet, London, UK.
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