When art changes conversations about migraine
In recent weeks I was able to take advantage of two very different opportunities to test my artistic work on migraine together with people from the health sector and with those affected: at the Culture & Health Forum in Vienna and at the Health Forum in Lübeck .
In Vienna, a participatory workshop was the focus. Around 25 participants explored how migraine is perceived and what happens when one approaches an illness not only through medical information, but also through artistic and playful methods.
We began with the participants' spontaneous ideas about migraine and then moved on to body awareness and creating a personal body map via my interactive game "Migraine Management".
Impressions from the workshop (Photos: CultureAndHealth Platform's Culture and Health Forum Vienna 2026 at Kulturhaus Brotfabrik. Photographer (c) Barbara Mair – ARTS for HEALTH AUSTRIA)
What was particularly striking was how the conversations changed over the course of the workshop. The game led to intense discussions about everyday decisions and the uncertainty of living with migraine. The subsequent body mapping exercise generated very different images of how migraines are perceived in the body or imagined by outsiders.
One participant, who suffers from migraine herself, described how the game felt very close to her own reality and how she often didn't know how to convey these experiences to others. She then forwarded the link to her partner and friends.
In Lübeck, too, it became clear that artistic works can quickly spark conversations about migraines. Here, too, the body map attracted particular interest, this time from medical professionals.
These are precisely the moments that interest me for my further artistic research.
My goal is not to replace medical knowledge with art. Rather, I'm interested in what additional possibilities art can offer: What experiences become visible when people draw, play, observe, or collaborate on an artistic project? What conversations arise as a result? And does it perhaps also change the way people talk about chronic illnesses?
My experiences will be incorporated into my project "Making the Invisible Visible - Migraine Dialogue Space." Together with Dr. Janne Gierthmühlen from the Interdisciplinary Pain and Palliative Care Clinic at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), I will be conducting participatory workshops with people with migraine and healthcare professionals over the coming months. The focus will be on artistic methods to make different perspectives on migraine visible. The resulting works will then be presented in an exhibition at the UKSH.
My experiences so far are not yet scientific findings. They are field observations from artistic situations. But they clearly show me which questions I want to pursue further.
Art can impart knowledge. However, I find it even more interesting when art prompts people to reconsider their own knowledge, their own experiences, and the perspectives of others.
Comments