The “Art as Therapy” installation includes a large video projection playing a two hour video loop.

For this work, I pose as a family therapist. In preparation for this role, I studied training tapes provided to me by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy in addition to seeking guiding consultations with a master family therapist. The aim was for the family members to better understand and accept their individual responsibilities in the emotional life of the family unit.

My initial encounter with the family began with their appearance on a television talk show. From this program, I created life-size dolls representing each family member, which I then animate by hand in the video. I play both the therapist and the clients.

The video chronicles seven sessions with the family and provides a window into the transformation we experienced as we struggled to change relationships, alleviate symptoms, and improve the emotional functioning of the family unit.

The following short blurb is taken from the Magazine of the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (June 2002).

Fantasy plays an important role in the work of Desiree Arlette Holman. She has adopted numerous personas in order to explore the ways humand beings interact. For this project, Holman analyzed a family she saw on a daytime television talk show. She made life-size dolls of each family member and has videotaped her "therapy sessions" with them, allowing the audience to witness the developing drama.

Additional text on the "Art as Therapy" project:
+Stephanie Rogerson's Now review (pdf)
+Alissa Firth-Eagland's YYZ review (pdf)