Reinventing the self through participatory art: writing and performing among rough sleepers

(Cupchik, Gerald. 2013. I am, therefore I think, act, and express both in life and in art. Art and identity 32. 67–91) claims that being is associated with artistic expressions of various kinds. In line with this notion, the present paper reports on a socially engaged art project that involved the clients at a day centre for people experiencing homelessness. For nearly four months, the participants met once a week for a few hours under the direction of a facilitator and a film-maker who video-recorded the group activities. The experimental ethnographic project aimed to establish whether engagement in creative art can provide these usually ‘invisible’ individuals with an opportunity to reflect on their self and find a voice. The paper describes the group’s activities and the individuals’ responses. The focus is on the minimal narratives the clients produced from surrealistic scenarios to personal memories and political reprieves. The study shows how intrinsically participatory art, centred on the encounter of the participants’ different subjectivities, can encourage self-reflection among individuals with problematic lives.