Take 10
By
Amelia Baron
A photograph of two people in conversation seated in armchairs at a railway station.
The first Take 10 took place in March 2019 at Sheffield train station, where the artist Amelia Baron set up an installation mimicking the appearance of a living room, inviting passer-bys to sit opposite herself and engage in a ten minute conversation.
After developing a practice that often utilises installational and performative acts, Amelia’s work aims to open up a discourse surrounding mental health in today’s society. Take 10, Amelia’s first performance since graduating, attracted over 60 partakers, some whom sat for up to thirty minutes discussing the mental wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones in what can be described as a connectivity of empathy and compassion. Research has suggested that just 10 minutes of face to face conversation can reduce the signs of depression and risk of suicide, something the artist has experienced first hand and seeks to reduce the stigma of by continuing to produce socially engaged artwork.
Take 10 has since been enacted for Axis Web's Social Works? Live and was also selected to exhibit at Left Bank Leeds Art Prize.
More information: http://www.ameliabaron.co.uk/projects/take-10/
