Participatory ArtsCreative practice as mutual recovery: connecting communities for mental health and well-being
Principal Investigator: Professor Paul Crawford (University of Nottingham)
From 2013 to 2017
When considering the attributes that modern-day healthcare is frequently accused of lacking, it is all too easy to overlook one of the most precious of all: humanity. The nascent discipline of health humanities aims to address this critical shortcoming. Read more
Community as micro-sociality and the new localism agenda
Principal Investigator: Professor Valerie Walkerdine
From 2012 to 2013
The Big Society and localism agendas bring to the fore issues of how communities might operate within a time of austerity. This project addresses current concerns by using a theoretical approach to community which understands it as relational activity, the act of communing, which is the small everyday activity which makes up what counts as community. Read more
Performing Abergavenny: creating a connected community beyond divisions of class, locality and history
Principal Investigator: Prof Valerie Walkerdine, Cardiff University
From 2013 to 2014
This project built upon Walkerdine et al’s research in Abergavenny for the Connected Communities Programme, ‘Community as micro-sociality’ (2012-13) which discovered that Abergavenny as a community is geographically disconnected along north/south fault lines, historically related to class and dislocation, and Mackey et al’s project ‘Challenging concepts of ‘liquid’ place through performance practices in community contexts’ (2011-14). Read more
Memories of ‘Mr Seel’s Garden’: Engaging with historic and future food systems in Liverpool
Principal Investigator: Dr Michelle Bastian
From 2012 to 2013
On the outer edges of Liverpool ONE, a 42 acre regeneration area of the city centre, there is a Tesco Superstore. Read more
And the Doctor said…
Principal Investigator: Mark Webster (Staffordshire University)
From 2012 to 2014
‘And the Doctor Said….’ uses creative writing as a method for exploring people’s experiences of healthcare in north Staffordshire. People took part in workshops at community venues, which were led by writers, playwrights and storytellers. Participants shared stories, reflected upon, and wrote about their healthcare experiences. Read more
Bridging the Gap between Academic Theory and Community Relevance: Fresh Insights from American Pragmatism
Principal Investigator: Professor Mihaela Kelemen, Keele University
From 2013 to 2014
‘Bridging the Gap’ focuses on what is considered ‘actionable’ knowledge by communities and what makes knowledge relevant, useful and/or practical at their end. The four AHRC projects involved in this collaborative grant application share the view that academic theories are not ends in themselves; rather that they must serve the needs of the communities studied. Read more
The role of creative interventions in fostering connectivity and resilience in older people
Principal Investigator: Anna Goulding, Newcastle University
2014
We are aiming to understand how creative interventions can help develop connectivity and resilience for older people. We will critically reflect on a range of projects including community gardening, filmmaking, the built environment, product design, digital media, theatre, music, cultural learning and visual arts interventions. Read more
Authority, knowledge and performance in participatory practice
Principal Investigator: Claire Blencowe (University of Warwick)
2012
Collaborators – Stepping Out Theatre Company; Mad Hatters of Bath; Authority Research Network We used an initial literature survey and consultations with mental health performance groups to feed into a week-long residential workshop for eleven academics and community practitioners. Read more
Networked communities as dynamic co-created learning environments
Principal Investigator: Professor Neil Ravenscroft
2013
Through a series of co-created and facilitated workshops and training programmes, Phase 1 of this project has brought facilitation practice into conversation with academic research methods to create a co-designed multi-method model for organising the generation of data about personal and community histories and associations. Read more
Stories to connect with: disadvantaged children creating phygital community objects to share their life-narratives of resilience and transformation
Principal Investigator: Dr Candice Satchwell
From 2015 to 2017
Working with children and young people from Barnardo’s and other participatory groups, we will gather stories about young people’s lives which might otherwise not be heard. First we will train young people to become researchers, and they will ‘collect’ narratives from other young people. Then we will work with well-known children’s authors to make these stories into assemblages of fiction. Read more
