Why Nat Bass needed to host Space 22

When she first heard about ABC’s new Space 22, Natalie Bassingthwaighte knew she just had to get the gig.

Producers reached out to her management to gauge her interest. But there was one catch.

She said, ‘It’s not an offer. They just want to know if you’re interested.’ I’m like, ‘What? I need to do this!'” she tells TV Tonight.

“I’ve had my own mental health struggles for the best part of 20 years now. It’s not all day, every day, it’s just moments. I know what it’s like to feel completely alone and not knowing whether you can get out of the space you’re in -and how to manage that. But I’ve also learned some tools over the years in what helps me. It has fascinated me that art or creativity could be used as a therapy of sorts.

“Meditation works really well for me, making sure that I exercise. Obviously, I’m still taking medication. So all the extra things that helped me through… I’ve done a little bit of research on neuroplasticity, how repetition can change our thought patterns.”

The series, an original format developed locally by BBC Studios Australia NZ,  follows seven strangers each with their own lived experience of mental ill health, as they take part in an ambitious experiment to test if the simple act of participating in art can help heal invisible wounds. Supported by psychotherapist Noula Diamantopoulos, the hope is that by being creative together, it will have a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

Dr Kathryn Boydell, Professor of Mental Health Research at the Black Dog Institute will reveal the mental and social impact of the experiment using social research tools.

“This whole concept of art as therapy is an experiment, seeing whether it does actually change our mindset and our thought patterns. So it really intrigued me,” Bassingthwaighte continues.

“I was diagnosed with Depression a very long time ago. I actually went to the Black Dog Institute about 20 something years ago. So for them to be involved in this project also felt like synergy.”

As a performer Bassingthwaighte has also had to deal with the industry’s notorious periods of unemployment and rejection.

“It can be very soul destroying, because it feels really personal. I’m at a space in my life and career where I don’t get so distraught over things that don’t go my way. Because it is what it is, you win some, you lose some.  You’ve just got to pick yourself up and keep on going,” she explains.

“I’m very practical about that stuff now. I think at a young age, it can be really destructive… just the whole the whole industry and being told ‘No’ a lot or to feel like you’re not good enough, all the time.”

The seven strangers who will undertake art projects, some for the first time as adults, include 18-year-old Ben whose mental health decline came about when he was in Year 7; 29-year-old Social Worker Bronwyn who she was diagnosed with PTSD following her brother’s death; 29-year-old Mohammad whose homelife became tricky as his mother couldn’t come to terms with his sexuality; 37-year-old Neil who suffers from panic attacks; 47-year-old retired Police Rescue Squad officer Tracey who was diagnosed with PTSD and depression; child sexd abuse survivor 55-year-old Vivienne; and 66-year-old Ray who was diagnosed with Melancholic Depression and mild bipolar disorder. 

“Ray is a really great guy who has tried a lot of different therapies and lots of things over the years, but nothing has really worked. He was one of the ones that stood out to me. I wondered if this was going to do anything. He walked in the first day very reserved, and he doesn’t talk a hell of a lot!” Basingthwaighte explains.

“You could tell he was skeptical of what this whole thing was. But he still went into it saying, ‘I’m gonna give it a crack,’ and I love that about him.”

Mentoring them in three art disciplines are mixed media artist Abdul Abdulla, Archibald winner Wendy Sharpe, and performer Eddie Perfect.

“Eddie brings his unique skills to help participants express their thoughts and release trapped emotions through song writing and singing,” she recalls.

“Everyone says ‘ I can’t sing, I can’t write, I can’t perform!’ There’s this fear because it feels so directed at the individual. You can’t hide anywhere. But it didn’t take too long for him to open everyone up. He was teaching them how to write individual songs and it culminated in everyone coming up with a really beautiful piece.

“You don’t have to be a professional performer to give this a go. Singing really fills your heart with so much joy. He’s just an extraordinary human!”

Mixed media art will see the seven participants explore the use of photography.

“They had to come up with the idea of what people thought of them, and then put that into a photograph. They also brought an object from home, and it told a bigger story.”

Viewers will watch the participants across six episodes in a practical pill-free prescription to help stave off an epidemic in mental health. Producers hope the art immersion will give license to us all to have fun, try new things and break boundaries.

“They want to find out new ways of helping people, so I felt this makes complete sense, ” says Bassingthwaighte.

8pm Tuesday on ABC.

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