Reimagining the Chelsea: Uninstitutionalised Living for Mad* Artists

Abstract

This thesis began by exploring the history of mental health care facilities, initially focusing on the legacy of psychologist Franco Basaglia, who initiated a movement for the deinstitutionalisation of psychiatric health care from within the system in Italy, after discovering the prison-like nature of these institutions, and the “loss of identity” for patients. The changing models of care, all arguably still forms of institutionalisation, are compared with the environments created by artists and other creatives who suffer from mental illness. These ‘mad’ individuals thrive and are celebrated as they strive to express and shape the world around them, exploring their ‘other’ view of the world. They are not institutionalised, yet often congregate in types of self-formed institutions, physical and theoretical. Their obsession and mental illness can be seen as beneficial or even vital to the ground-breaking work they create. Rather than attempting to provide for the kind of homogeneous solution typical of institionalised care, this thesis focuses on the living and working environments of inspiring and successful artists. It does not attempt to prove a theory nor a correct approach, but instead is an exploration of the theoretical, spatial and personal information collected. This process is an artistic interpretation and translation of that information, informing a unique and personalised spatial response to designing an urban living situation for these artists. The now ‘whitewashed’ Chelsea Hotel in New York is employed as a vehicle for this exploration. This place has a rich history as an ‘asylum’ for artists. I have reimagined it as a refuge for the precedent artists inspiring this thesis, Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, Janet Frame, Dee Dee Ramone.