...ТЫ и Я

Big thanks to Liam Murphy (via HS) for this image of a resourceful robin's nest!

Recoverism and the Arts: Driving change through collaborative research

What a day! The first major Recoverist event took place in the Manchester School of Art last Tuesday with around 150 people attending from around the UK, Italy, Germany, France and Lithuania. My personal thanks to Sarah G, Rob R, Lucy W of SUAB and Mark P and to all those who contributed on the day. The event was in part, about sharing new ideas and innovative practice that bridges substance misuse and recovery, with the arts - moving away from cliched representations of addiction, and critically about exploring ways in which art and artists might have a part in the research agenda. So the Recoverist movement is growing and as projects unfold, you can read about them here first. Thanks to the Arts & Health Research Group at the Manchester School of Art and for Alcohol Research UK for their generous funding.

Distant Voices - Coming Home

Professor Fergus McNeill - University of Glasgow

Alison Urie - Vox Liminis

Wednesday 24 May 2017 at the Media Factory, Innovation Studio, 3.00 to 5.30

‘Distant Voices – Coming Home’ is a project that responds to pressing public policy and political challenges created by huge rises in the numbers of people subject to penal sanctions and by high levels of reoffending. Turning conventional understandings of ‘offender rehabilitation’ on their head, the project is concerned not with ‘correcting offenders’ but rather with exploring and changing how they are received when ‘coming home’ after punishment. Distant Voices combines creative practices (principally song writing and sharing) research and knowledge exchange to enable dialogue and learning about re/integration - and to practice and experience it. This is a Cross–Disciplinary Seminar Series organised by the always brilliant Psychosocial Research Unit from the School of Social Work, Care and Community. More details and booking HERE.

BUPA Foundation - Healthy Futures: Empowering Young Adults 

The BUPA Foundation has launched a new funding round through its Healthy Futures funding programme. The Bupa UK funds practical projects to tackle challenges in health and social care and make a direct impact on people's health and wellbeing. This funding round is focused on young adults aged 18 to 25 and the Foundation is specifically interested in projects that will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of young adults who face ongoing health challenges. The closing date for applications is the 19th May 2017. Read more HERE. 

Celf o Gwmpas - Freelance Project Co-ordinator (Wales)

Deadline: Friday 28 April 2017 at 5pm

Celf o Gwmpas are looking for a new person to fill an exciting role and join our busy team at Centre Celf in Llandrindod Wells. The post will be a freelance position for a period of 9 months, starting early in May 2017. Celf o Gwmpas wishes to engage an individual with knowledge and experience of Arts, Health and Wellbeing to co-ordinate our current projects ‘Reaching Out, Drawing In’ and 'In Residence' and to develop our 'Artist Network'. The rate of pay for the work is £11.45 per hour, working on average 14 hours per week. For further details and to download the Job Description and Application Form, please visit our website HERE.

Birth Rites Collection 2017 Biennial Competition for New Works in Collaboration with The Whitworth
Submissions for our Birth Rites Collection Bi-annual award are now open.
This is an opportunity for your work to become a permanent part of the Birth Rites Collection. Your work will be featured as a constant on the Birth Rites website, will tour with the collection where it will be shown in future exhibitions, be available for loan to external shows and will be part of any publications released in line with the collection. The works submitted will be considered by our judges, Helen Knowles, Birth Rites Curator and Poppy Bowers, curator at the Whitworth Art Gallery. The chosen works will be featured for one month on our website and showcased digitally at an event in September at the Whitworth Art Gallery for one night as part of the Thursday Lates Programme. Songbirds: Music Making in Hospital: Saturday 24th June, 2017At the showcase, one winner of the competition will be announced and their work will become part of the Birth Rites Collection. The prize winner will also be awarded a two-week residency at Birth Rites Collection. This opportunity will be a chance to embed yourself within the Midwifery School to research a new piece of work. In addition to securing a residency, Birth Rites Collection will provide accommodation and a stipend of £250 and the winning work will be included in the Birth Rites Collection.
Please email born@birthrites.org.uk with any queries.
Competition Brief link: http://docdro.id/EIkTmMq
Application Form link: http://docdro.id/9QedBug
More information on our website: http://www.birthritescollection.org.uk
Deadline: June 25th, 2017



Songbirds: Music Making in Hospital: Saturday 24th June, 2017
10am – 5pm
Music making in hospital provides opportunities for communication and interaction, placing patients at the heart of an individualised creative experience. This workshop will give an overview of the clinical, acoustic and emotional environment of a hospital and explore practical techniques used in bedside music making. Through a series of developmental exercises, you will have the opportunity to develop skills in person-centred, nonverbal music making, musical communication and conversation. You will also learn about the importance of observation skills within this setting and have the opportunity to try out a range of musical activities using voice, body and percussion. No musical knowledge is assumed in this workshop, but bring your instrument if you have one. With specialist practitioner Ros Hawley. Full Details HERE.



Critical Care
Over the last few years I've been working with Australian artist, Vic McEwan as part of his arts and health residency in the UK. This short film (below) is a teaser of some work I have been preparing as a participant observer with Vic, as he has worked in an around Alder Hey Children's Hospital and over some time we've spent together in Australia. Of course, none of this film is from Alder Hey, but is found footage that will be part of a series of presentations that he and I will deliver together over June and September 2017, and although this small film is wordless, it may offer some clue as to my presentation and the essay Critical Care which I'm working on for publication in September this year. You'll be able to catch Vic and I speaking about his work and some of my reflections on art, artists and health care at the Culture, Health and Wellbeing International Conference 2017, in Bristol. More details HERE. 

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