In this deeply personal conversation, Magdalena Westman traces the arc of her life from her early years in a pastor’s family in Czechoslovakia to her transformative experiences in South Africa—where the seeds of her art therapy practice first began to take root.
Growing up in a home filled with intellect, faith, and compassion, Magdalena’s childhood was shaped by both inspiration and challenge. Her family’s moral integrity during the years of political repression left a lasting imprint, instilling in her a sensitivity to human struggle and resilience. Those formative experiences would later find their way into her work, not through words, but through color, texture, and the spontaneous movement of the hand across paper.
Our conversation moves gently between memory and meaning—how a sense of “being different” as a child became a source of empathy, and how the creative act became, for Magdalena, a path to freedom and healing. In South Africa, amidst new landscapes and cultural encounters, she began to sense art’s potential to bridge inner and outer worlds—a realization that led her to study and eventually teach art therapy after returning to the Czech Republic.
Today, Magdalena is known for her intuitive approach to creativity—inviting people to reconnect with their childlike curiosity through mark-making, reflection, and presence. Her workshops and writings reveal how even the simplest doodle can become a doorway to emotional understanding and self-discovery.
This interview offers a rare glimpse into a life shaped by courage, creativity, and compassion—and into an artistic philosophy that reminds us that healing often begins with a single, spontaneous line.
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In this deeply personal conversation, Magdalena Westman traces the arc of her life from her early years in a pastor’s family in Czechoslovakia to her transformative experiences in South Africa—where the seeds of her art therapy practice first began to take root.
Growing up in a home filled with intellect, faith, and compassion, Magdalena’s childhood was shaped by both inspiration and challenge. Her family’s moral integrity during the years of political repression left a lasting imprint, instilling in her a sensitivity to human struggle and resilience. Those formative experiences would later find their way into her work, not through words, but through color, texture, and the spontaneous movement of the hand across paper.
Our conversation moves gently between memory and meaning—how a sense of “being different” as a child became a source of empathy, and how the creative act became, for Magdalena, a path to freedom and healing. In South Africa, amidst new landscapes and cultural encounters, she began to sense art’s potential to bridge inner and outer worlds—a realization that led her to study and eventually teach art therapy after returning to the Czech Republic.
Today, Magdalena is known for her intuitive approach to creativity—inviting people to reconnect with their childlike curiosity through mark-making, reflection, and presence. Her workshops and writings reveal how even the simplest doodle can become a doorway to emotional understanding and self-discovery.
This interview offers a rare glimpse into a life shaped by courage, creativity, and compassion—and into an artistic philosophy that reminds us that healing often begins with a single, spontaneous line.
Dorothy Di Stefano | The Intersection of Art, Story, and Technology
Petra Sittig
53 minutes 47 seconds
2 months ago
Dorothy Di Stefano | The Intersection of Art, Story, and Technology
This episode features Dorothy Di Stefano, Founder and Director of Molten Immersive Art, an international collective known for creating large-scale, multi-sensory art experiences. Her projects span the globe — including the landmark Noor Riyadh in Saudi Arabia — and she is recognised as a leading figure in shaping how audiences encounter art in new and unexpected ways.
Dorothy’s journey into this field grew from a lifelong love of music, beauty, and curiosity about the world. That passion has evolved into a career where she brings together art, technology, and storytelling to design experiences that engage every sense — sight, sound, touch, and space — drawing people into a deeper relationship with creativity.
She highlights why it is essential to keep the artist’s perspective at the core of these projects. For Dorothy, it is not just about creating a spectacle, but about honouring the vision behind the work and ensuring that audiences connect with the authenticity of the artist’s message.
In our conversation, Dorothy also describes how this new form of art extends far beyond traditional formats. Instead of simply looking at a painting or sculpture, audiences are invited into an environment where the physical and the emotional come together. In her words, it’s art that can stay with you long after you’ve left the space — because it surrounds you, moves you, and becomes part of your memory.
Petra Sittig
In this deeply personal conversation, Magdalena Westman traces the arc of her life from her early years in a pastor’s family in Czechoslovakia to her transformative experiences in South Africa—where the seeds of her art therapy practice first began to take root.
Growing up in a home filled with intellect, faith, and compassion, Magdalena’s childhood was shaped by both inspiration and challenge. Her family’s moral integrity during the years of political repression left a lasting imprint, instilling in her a sensitivity to human struggle and resilience. Those formative experiences would later find their way into her work, not through words, but through color, texture, and the spontaneous movement of the hand across paper.
Our conversation moves gently between memory and meaning—how a sense of “being different” as a child became a source of empathy, and how the creative act became, for Magdalena, a path to freedom and healing. In South Africa, amidst new landscapes and cultural encounters, she began to sense art’s potential to bridge inner and outer worlds—a realization that led her to study and eventually teach art therapy after returning to the Czech Republic.
Today, Magdalena is known for her intuitive approach to creativity—inviting people to reconnect with their childlike curiosity through mark-making, reflection, and presence. Her workshops and writings reveal how even the simplest doodle can become a doorway to emotional understanding and self-discovery.
This interview offers a rare glimpse into a life shaped by courage, creativity, and compassion—and into an artistic philosophy that reminds us that healing often begins with a single, spontaneous line.
