A round-up of our recent activity, news, and opportunities

A Note From Our Co-Directors

The pandemic has really highlighted the value of the arts for health and wellbeing across the population. In this newsletter we report on some of the fantastic recent research and enterprise projects carried out by Centre members that investigate, support and enrich these links. We are also excited to announce a raft of calls for future CAW work and roles, from conference/festival facilitation to acting as our PG rep and more. We would love to hear your updates, news, events too; if you’d like to contribute to our online platforms or newsletter, email Samreen Faria at CentreforArtsandWellbeing@brighton.ac.uk
– Helen Johnson and Jess Moriarty

Participants were invited to take part in an open speculative, imaginative conversation about what we can learn from each other by sharing stories of change, as life and the creative industries begin to open up. The aim was to identify partners and a theme to work collaboratively on to investigate creative methods for supporting life post/mid Covid. Partners agreed on the importance to focus on wellbeing and aging, with evidence suggesting that the older population has been disproportionately affected by pandemic.

2. ‘Calming Parkinson’s Tremor Using Deep Breathing Techniques of Creative Visualisation Into and Out of the Body’ Susan Diab, Ana Barretxeguren and Flavie Torrecillos

Working with 3 aspects of deep breathing (breathing, vibration and interoception) and materials donated by Emmaus Brighton and Hove, Susan, Ana and Flavie ran creative, collaborative and playful workshops to address the specific movement and health needs of people with Parkinson’s. “The first thing they tell you about Parkinson’s Disease when it is diagnosed is that it is ‘incurable’ which comes as a blow. Then gradually you begin to get used to the idea and realise that it is much more affirming to put one’s attention on living with the condition … there is much that can be done to share ‘life hacks’ or tips which make life easier … and to retain a necessary sense of humour about its funnier side.”

Read more here: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/artswellbeing/2021/10/15/messy-futures-and-in-control-by-design/

3. ’InteractiveRecycledandSustainablePlastic Waste School Workshops’ Jessica Melville-Brown

Jessica also facilitated a student-led workshop with Year 3 students at a North Devon primary school looking at plastic in the local community and exploring how to minimise/avoid waste. Students used Lego to design inventions to tackle waste and organised litter picks in the community.