Michael Koon Boon Tan

• PhD (Durham University), MA Photography and Urban Culture (Goldsmith College), BFA (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)
• Dean (Research and Knowledge Exchange) at University of the Arts Singapore

Incidence of dementia in Singapore is increasing and strategies to care for people with dementia are necessary. Let’s Have Tea at the Museum is a pilot participatory visual art programme designed for clients at an Alzheimer’s Disease Association (ADA) Singapore day care centre. The programme, which combines reminiscence with art-making, aims at ena...

Key words: Arts for Health; Aged Care; Nursing Home; Participatory Visual Arts; Assemblage Theory; Vitality; Wellbeing; Caring Artist; Practice Framework The priorities many nursing homes give to physical care often supersede consideration for leisure arrangements and resources with the effect that the range of activities and engagement opportunit...

The priorities many nursing homes give to physical care often supersede consideration for leisure arrangement and resources for residents. Such an approach often resulted in low level of activity. Inactive lifestyle in nursing homes can diminish the quality of life of residents and elicit negative emotions such as boredom, reinforced dependency, lo...

Increasing evidence highlights the benefits and importance of discussing End-of-Life (EoL), yet many people struggle to talk openly about death and dying. This practice-based report details the development of Dying Matters, an applied theatre performance designed to encourage EoL conversations with loved ones. The combination of lived experience mo...

Introduction The practice of participatory art has been found to support the promotion, prevention, and management of health across the lifespan. However, clinical trials investigating the benefits of creative activities curated with and conducted in museums among older adults in East Asia remains limited. Methods The current research utilized a s...

Introduction Art and museum-based interventions are gaining increasing recognition for their potential as low-risk activities for older adults, offering numerous physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits. However, there remains a dearth of knowledge regarding the science of implementation as well as the factors and processes that contribute to th...

The field of ‘Arts, Health and Wellbeing,’ has witnessed a remarkable growth of interest over the last 20 years. Seminal work has been produced from the beginning of the millennium, which has led to the emergence of the arts and music as topics in health science beyond therapy. Arts and musical activities for health have been explored in contexts i...

Background: This article examines the state of the field of arts and health in Singapore and identifies the drivers that have shaped its development to date, adding new insights from Asia to the growing international literature in this area. Methods: Various methods, including an online survey and in-depth focus groups were used. Results: We find t...

Loneliness has become a global major public health concern, with detrimental effects to the young and old. ARTISAN (Aspiration and Resilience Through Intergenerational Storytelling and Art-based Narratives) is a 5-week, 15-h participatory art and group-based intervention that focuses on resilience building and loneliness alleviation among the young...

Abstract Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unexpected disruption to the operation of many museums. However, the disruption also presents an opportunity for local museums to explore new modes of audience engagement that could also help to mitigate the negative health impact of COVID-19 through the imaginative use of technology. This articl...

Relocation to a nursing home can be a highly stressful process for older adults with dementia, yet programmes to support them are limited. This study developed an art-based life review programme (Project 回艺; huí yì) and examined its capability to support the process of relocation into the nursing home for older adults. The programme took place over...

This Toolkit features eight arts-based activities and caters to a wide range of Community Care clients. It was developed in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University and features contributions from their Master of Science (Applied Gerontology) students. Activities are also guided by the “Five Ways to Wellbeing” from the United Kingdom’s N...

In the light of challenges arising from contemporary issues such as inclusivity, sustainability and justice, the connections between art, design and caring appears to be pertinent. What role can artists and designers play in the ecology of care? How can we lead art and design students to connect and lend their creative skills to care needs? Drawing...

The demographic of an ageing population in many countries is increasing the numbers of elderly who are resident in care homes especially in parts of South East Asia. The investments made into care-related activities in residential homes for the elderly largely reflect a medical approach in which priority is given to physical care through bodily mai...

This Toolkit features a selection of 20 art activities using a range of techniques that were designed by artists for the Community Care sector’s inaugural Arts Residency (October 2017-January 2018). The pilot was held under the auspices of the AIC Wellness Programme and was a joint initiative by the Agency for Integrated Care and the National Arts...

Background: Many studies in arts and health have focused on evaluating the impact of participatory arts activities, but few have considered the processes and components shaping the wellbeing outcomes of participants. This paper uses a relational approach to health to explore the processes and components at play during art making that helps foster t...

Sensory, cognitive and motor stimulation can enhance the wellbeing of people with dementia and their caregivers by reducing their susceptibility to developing behavioural or psychological symptoms. This project led to the development of a multi-sensorial game (MatchLink) for use by occupational therapists and caregivers to engage and stimulate peop...

The field of design for health in Singapore is in its nascent stage of development. However, awareness and interest towards investigation at the intersection of design and art, health and wellbeing appears to be gaining traction among creative practitioners, policy makers, and stakeholders in various sectors such as the healthcare, social care, and...

Presentation on a case study on Art and Dementia Project with the Alzheimer’s Disease Association Singapore to demonstrate and explain the potential of participatory arts as a caring strategy for people living with dementia.

What role can artist and designer take on in today’s society as we confront inequality resulting from ill-health or ageing? This presentation explores the caring role that artist and designer have assumed by developing creative strategies to ameliorate the health and well-being of individuals. It will highlight three arts-health projects that I dev...

Arts and health has developed into a diverse field. While a plethora of articles and discussion have looked at research methodologies, practices and state of development reports to capture the benefit of the arts on health and wellbeing of people and communities, little attention has been given to reflects on the practice of artist in art and healt...

As Singapore faces the need to increase its number of long-term care facilities to meet the demand of its graying population, it is appropriate for us to consider and imagine at this juncture, what we can do to enhance the quality of care and the quality of life for residents in our future long-term care facilities. In our strive to offer holistic...

This presentation highlights ideas and observations from a art and health program that the artist had recently completed with members of the Parkinson Disease Society Singapore. Through a showcase of work, it will share views on how a systematic program could foster relation between patients and their caregivers and encourage flourishing of relatio...

This paper provides an update on the state of development for arts and healthcare in Singapore and share with international colleagues some of the best practice to date and highlight policy and training that are taking shape.

This presentation highlights ideas and observations from the artist’s latest creative paper clay project with the Parkinson Disease Society Singapore. Through a showcase of the participants' work , It will share views on how a systematic program can lead individuals to realize new possibilities and assume new roles as artist to reconstitute the sel...

This presentation highlights ideas and observations from the artist’s latest creative paper clay project with the Parkinson Disease Society Singapore. Through a showcase of the participants’ work , It will share views on how a systematic program can lead individuals to realize new possibilities and assume new roles as artist to reconstitute the sel...

As part of an effort to raise awareness and promote the development in the field of Arts in Healthcare in Singapore, this lecture examines the role and significance of Arts in healthcare environment. Drawing knowledge gathered from medical sociology, the arts and psychology, Michael uses the distinctions between illness and disease as a ground to a...

Despite the existence of several Arts in Healthcare programs in Singapore’s hospitals, information for these programs are currently scattered and lacks prominence. As part of an effort to generate critical mass for Arts in Healthcare in Singapore and to promote exchange with international colleagues in the field, this introductory paper endeavors t...

Made from plastic, Flip-flops — otherwise known as slippers, sandals, etc.— are easily recognized by their signature Y-shape straps that are usually attached to the sole. This exhibition presents the outcomes of a dialogue between artist Michael Tan and sociologist Caroline Knowles on the world’s most popular and best selling footwear – Flip-flops....