Connections - Participatory Art as Facilitator for Social Cohesion

The potential for Participatory Arts to contribute to Mental Health and Wellbeing has been subject of Parliamentary Debates, All-Party Interparliamentary reports, research by the Arts Council of England as well as academic research. Often, these questions stand in the light of accountability of Art, of measurable societal benefit, not at least to justify funding decisions and institutional support. Criticism of this quantitative reading of participatory arts centres around limitations in measuring social connectedness and its benefits, as well as other side-effects of reductionism (Bishop 2012). This paper presents four recent media arts projects aiming to contribute to social cohesion through a multitude of strategies. This paper discusses the potential of media arts to contribute to social connectedness as well as challenges in measuring their success.