THE TROUBLED MIND OF NORTHERN IRELAND Raman Kapur and Jim Campbell A pioneering work that aims to increase our understanding of violence and how we can relate to one another in a more humane rather than destructive way.  With foreword by Archbishop Tutu. Imprint: Karnac    Series: None       Price: £16.00/$28.99  Binding: Paper Extent: 156pp  Catalogue No: 17713  ISBN:  1855759934  Publication: September 2004 KARNAC BOOKS 6 Pembroke Buildings London NW10 6RE shop@karnacbooks.com Click here to download flyer.   'An Explosion of Expression' ART EXHIBITION The exhibition, An Explosion of Expression, stands as a product of ongoing group work within the Therapeutic Communities run by Threshold.  Threshold works to create a good therapeutic environment through which people at risk or recovering from mental illness are enabled to live full and independent lives in the community. The Expressions Group was set up in 2003 as part of the therapeutic programme within the residential project, Clearwater House, and aimed to provide the space for residents to express themselves creatively and to produce work which could be displayed with a sense of pride and achievement.  Initially group members learned to stretch their own large canvases and were encouraged to be confident in using paint and other media to create ‘meaningful colour’.  Members gradually overcame anxieties such as feeling like they were no good at art and that they could not draw and gave each other a lot of encouragement.  We became interested in the different associations we made with each painting and how they made us feel. The Group experimented with sculpture and photography and enjoyed and enjoyed making a kinetic piece of work using water and dyes and watching it evolve.  Music was also an integral part of the group and members brought along something from their collection, noting how this could affect the mood of the work produced.  The Group decided to work towards an exhibition which took place in the Community Arts Forum, Belfast in November.  This was a rewarding event for all involved and we felt proud of what we had achieved.  A selection of painting were then displayed in a café in the city centre, which was reported to have generated significant interest and discussion.   The Expressions Group was then set up by a resident within the project at Sophia House and she has continued to facilitate this group with great competence, enthusing and inspiring group members to create an exciting body of work.  The Community Arts Forum also supported the Expressions group by funding an artist to facilitate the group for a number of weeks in the spring.  This provided the group with new ideas and inspiration.  Not only in the process of creating art within the group enjoyable but it also brings motivation, interest and a splash of colour to the projects in which it is displayed. The exhibition will give a taste of the work which has continued within the Expressions Group and also a number of individual pieces including poetry, photography and mixed media works by residents from Sophia, Clearwater, No. 9 and Kharaminn Houses.  The exhibition will also incorporate music written and produced by residents from Sophia House.   10TH ANNUAL NORTHERN IRELAND GROUP THERAPY CONFERENC E For further details and booking arrangements please contact:   Threshold, 432 Antrim Road, Belfast, Tel:  02890871313 Fax:  02890871188 email: info@thresholdservices.com