The smartphone

My own art-making is large and messy. I have a preference for using my hands and working with pastels and charcoal on a large surface or building 3D paper structures. So, the idea of using an iPad or smartphone for art (and art therapy) seemed instinctively gimmicky and restrictive. However, my views have been challenged by my clients (people living with terminal illnesses) who use iPads, tablet computers and their smartphones to maintain their creativity and social connections; and by those artists who incorporate iPads into their practise (eg David Hockney and Amy Silman). I have become fascinated by the changes in interpersonal relationships, and individuals’ self-perceptions that result from our attachments to these portable handheld digital devices.  

This object - the smartphone - is small and tidy. Yet its presence in art therapy opens up a large and messy arena, disrupting the therapeutic frame, pulling on issues of personal agency, connectivity and isolation, self-representation, making memories, and everlasting legacy.

Michele Wood: Since qualifying in 1987, Michele has worked consistently as a practitioner, educator and clinical supervisor. She is currently employed by the University of Roehampton and the Marie Curie Hospice in Hampstead. Michele is an international authority on art therapy in palliative care, and has research interests in the use of digital technology in art therapy.