Gallery project shows how viewing art can boost wellbeing

The relationship between art-viewing and wellbeing was explored by research in an innovative new gallery space which encourages visitors to slow down and spend time with exhibits.

Room to Breathe in Manchester Art Gallery is a dedicated space that encourages visitors to experience art in a more mindful way. Forming part of a campaign by museum and well-being consultant Louise Thompson and senior curator Fiona Corridan, the exhibition space is more akin to a living room than a traditional gallery. A few paintings are displayed on dark-coloured walls, with seating available. Artworks are displayed without labelling. Room to Breathe’s approach incorporates aspects of the practice of slow-looking, which encourages a slowed-down approach to observing art, taking time to pay attention to smaller details and aspects of the image itself as well as the act of looking rather than focusing on accompanying labels and information. 

Aleksandra (Sasha) Igdalova, who recently completed her PhD in Psychology at Goldsmiths working with Dr Rebecca Chamberlain, conducted a series of experiments on the art viewing experience in this space, one of which was to evaluate whether viewing art in this setting impacted participants differently compared to viewing art in more typical gallery spaces. 

Sasha’s research found that people viewing art in Room to Breathe felt more positive and more relaxed and spent longer with the art when compared to people who viewed the same paintings in the traditional setting. People viewing art in this mindful space also engaged more deeply with the colours and forms in the works on display.   

Other studies conducted in the space have revealed further insights, such as the benefits of having groups of viewers talk about the art while viewing, leading to enhanced engagement, flow, mood, and social connectedness. Most importantly, these benefits apply to anybody, with or without existing knowledge of art. 

At a time when people feel their attention is often divided between a myriad of notifications and short-form media, Room to Breathe and the findings of Sasha’s research highlight an alternative way of engaging with culture - one that is slower, more connected, and more restorative. Louise Thompson, museums and well-being consultant, said, “What this research demonstrates is that creating mindful spaces is a really effective way to support people’s mental health and well-being. What we did here at Manchester Art Gallery is something that any museum and gallery can do. And in the 21st century, we need more spaces where we can unplug and be in the moment.” 

Sasha explained, “What we’re learning is just how powerful the arts can be in public spaces. Simply spending time in a museum, engaging with artworks in a particular setting, or having a conversation about what you’re seeing can positively impact well-being. Unsurprisingly, we’re also seeing a rise in museum visits being prescribed for health benefits.” 

Sasha also found benefits in the collaborative approach. She said, “One of the biggest takeaways from this work is that research like this doesn’t happen in isolation - it’s built through collaboration. These findings are the result of a co-production process I developed over years of working closely with the gallery team, showing how the arts and sciences can come together to create meaningful impact.”  

Fiona Corridan, senior curator at Manchester Art Gallery, added, “We can gather anecdotal evidence of the effects on mood and wellbeing, but not scientific data that will help us understand whether what we are setting out to achieve through our art and wellbeing displays is actually having an impact and what that impact might be. Being able to collaborate on an experimental project in this way has been hugely rewarding in all sorts of ways. We have data and research that can help inform future work, will help us unlock funding to develop our health and wellbeing projects further and most importantly it has given us new insights into the way people experience art.”