School of Creative
Industries
Go Yuen Wing Dorothy
Dorothy is an art director and illustrator in the field of advertising and branding based in Hong Kong. Her originality and creativity have featured in many projects in Hong Kong and recently in Singapore, including the publication of children’s illustration books in collaboration with cinnamon art stories (Discovering Music Collection & Heritage of Singapore Collection).
With aspirations to explore the different possibilities of art, she has chosen to study art therapy as she believes in the healing power of art. As an art therapy trainee, she is particularly interested in working with children on the autism spectrum and had the privilege to work with this community in her two placements during her study in the MA Art Therapy programme at LASALLE College of the Arts.
Work
Flow
Fabric on wire mesh
150 x 230 cm
2022
Flow is an installation that features the Chinese character (流) 'flow', with the use of fabric being mounted on wire mesh. Through the artwork, the artist expresses the conflict of her being a free soul experiencing life in a setting full of boundaries and her struggle to escape — if the flow has never met the cage, it wouldn’t realise where it’s meant to be.
Thesis abstract
Through a sensory lens: The therapeutic use of materials in art therapy with children on the autism spectrum
This qualitative, practitioner-based study explores the use of materials in art therapy intervention on the sensory integration of children on the autism spectrum from a psychodynamic perspective. Through a multiple case vignette methodology, three clinical cases were discussed together with images of their artworks and analysed to answer these questions: In what ways might the use of materials in individual art therapy be therapeutic to children on the autism spectrum? In particular, what is the impact of materials on sensory regulation within this context? Based on the data, a total of 18 different types of materials were identified and further arranged to propose specific features in providing sensory stimulation to the eight senses in the human body. In addition, a total of 11 therapeutic outcomes were observed through the use of materials with different properties. These findings reveal implications for practitioners to listen to the non-verbal expressions of children on the autism spectrum through the use of materials, and to utilise materials which are sensorial in essence, with varying properties in solidity and abilities to evoke senses. This will further support children with different sensory profiles on the autism spectrum in identifying and achieving their specific therapeutic needs and goals.