Lindkvist in the Sesame Institute Archive: an autoethnographic study

Abstract

This article is based on a visit to the Sesame Institute Archive. It uses an autoethnographical approach to examine five items from the archive: an ‘Open Sesame!’ pamphlet; a series of letters; photographs of Kats rehearsals and work with groups; a typed manuscript and a paper from a conference on ‘Mental Retardation’. The enquiry concludes that the autoethographical research illuminates elements of Lindkvist’s relationship to drama, movement and creativity, in particular: the role of collaboration and interdisciplinarity in her work and its development; how new conceptual spaces were created by her and how these were in a mutual relationship with innovative practices; the centrality of the concept of the client as a creative individual, full of potential.

Keywords:

• Lindkvist
• Sesame archive
• autoethnography
• drama and movement in therapy

Acknowledgements

With thanks to the Sesame Institute for permission to use their archive.