Transformative Narrative Practices: Identity Exploration in Psychology and Performing Arts

The Faculty of Theatre at the George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași (UNAGE Iași), in partnership with the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Art (ICMA), organised, on 26 October 2024, the international conference entitled Transformative Narrative Practices: Identity Exploration in Psychology and Performing Arts.

The conference explored themes at the intersection of narrative psychology and contemporary approaches to theatre pedagogy, seeking to establish connections between different areas of research. It also aimed to promote new research into narrative, storytelling, and niche practices within the artistic process, as well as alternative approaches to the performing arts.

The conference addressed the following topics:

  • narrative directing techniques and their application in community contexts;
  • narrative psychotherapy and self-discovery;
  • contemporary dimensions of psychodrama;
  • applied storytelling.

Keynote Speakers:

  • Associate Professor Mimesis Heidi Dahlsveen
    Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway

with the presentation
Poetic Presence of the I – The Vanishing Point

Mimesis Heidi Dahlsveen has worked as a storyteller since 1996, both nationally and internationally. Her artistic projects are often developed through interdisciplinary collaboration with other artists, combining traditional and autobiographical narratives with theoretical perspectives. She is a part-time Associate Professor of Oral Storytelling at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway.

Her research focuses on how traditional narratives can shed light on contemporary themes and on the poetic dimensions of artistic processes. She has published several academic articles on oral storytelling, drawing on artistic research as a means of exploring and understanding oral storytelling and narrative.

  • Arjen Barel
    Storytelling Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands

with the presentation
Till Death… How Creating Narratives Can Support Coping with Loss and Grief

Arjen Barel is a producer and director working primarily in the field of storytelling performance. Much of his professional practice is devoted to listening to stories and training people in the art of storytelling. Until 2017, he was responsible for the programme of the International Storytelling Festival Amsterdam, which he founded in 2008, and he regularly coaches both amateur and professional storytellers.

He teaches and coordinates courses in storytelling and polarisation at the University of Amsterdam and also provides professional training in the use of storytelling in youth and community work in various parts of the world. In recent years, he has trained participants from Hungary, France, Morocco, Palestine, Israel, Germany, Spain, Croatia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece, and the United Kingdom.

Arjen Barel studied Drama Studies and Cultural Studies at the University of Amsterdam. In addition to his work at Bureau Barel, he teaches on various courses and co-edited, with Esther Lagendijk, the book Theatre & Marketing, Tension & Thrill (2004). In 2020, he published a book on applied storytelling, Storytelling en de Wereld (The World Is Storytelling: How Sharing Stories Can Contribute to Personal Growth and Social Impact), which has been translated into English and Turkish. His subsequent book, Sterker staan met je eigen verhaal (Standing Stronger with Your Own Story), was published in June 2021. He is currently working on a series of publications exploring the application of storytelling as a method across various fields.

  • Peter Frühmann
    Storybag, Hilversum, Netherlands

with the presentation
Memories: Positions and Questions

Peter Frühmann is a consultant, researcher, and trainer at Storybag, where his work focuses on applied storytelling. He is a lecturer in Story Development at SAE Institute Amsterdam, a guest lecturer at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Utrecht University, and a research and development partner in Erasmus+ educational projects.

After completing a BA in Fine Arts, he worked as a designer and art director and later as a copywriter, communication strategist, and creative director for international communications agencies. His interest in understanding human behaviour subsequently led him to complete a BSc in Psychology and establish Storybag, his own consultancy.

He believes that the age-old tradition of storytelling and the narrative approaches inspired by this extensive field remain indispensable and have broad applications across contemporary society. Through Storybag, he works with a network of storytelling practitioners to develop narrative approaches as effective and inspiring tools for change and development within organisations and educational projects, including those undertaken as part of the Erasmus+ programme.

  • Associate Professor Ovidiu Gavrilovici
    Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iași

with the presentation
Narrative and Identity – Intersections in Supporting Personal-Professional Development

Ovidiu Gavrilovici is a habilitated Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, and founding President of the Psiterra Association. His teaching includes courses in psychological counselling and narrative therapy.

For more than a decade, he has promoted narrative approaches in Romania across the fields of psychology, therapy, education, healthcare, professional development, and leadership. He is also a licensed psychologist in private practice, as well as a trainer and supervisor certified by the Romanian College of Psychologists.

Organising Committee:

  • Associate Professor Ioana Petcu-Pădurean
    Faculty of Theatre, George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași
  • Associate Professor Ovidiu Gavrilovici
    Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iași
  • Associate Professor Dorina Comănescu
    Department for Teacher Training (DPPD), George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași
  • PhD candidate Cezara Fantu
    Faculty of Theatre, George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași
  • PhD candidate Ileana Ocneanu
    Faculty of Theatre, George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași

Conference held within the framework of the research project ArtReal: Interdisciplinary Connections between Performative Arts and Narrative Psychology, funded through the 2024 ICMA–UNAGE internal research grants.

Project Director: Associate Professor Ioana Petcu-Pădurean