Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

The concept of assemblage by Deleuze and Guattari has inspired a turn towards a relational approach to health and well-being. However, exploration of assemblage theory in the field of arts and health is currently limited. This paper offers a way of understanding the processes through which participatory arts activities contribute to the participants’ well-being through empirical research of an art program in a nursing home. I conceptualized art-health assemblage and argue that the emergent of wellbeing is dependent on multiple interrelated elements at play in participatory art, which requires combining individualized attention to the participant, well-being outcome, and ensuring the quality of the environment and activities for participatory arts.