Research by Naomi Kendrick and Fabrica Gallery exploring the relationships between artists with socially engaged practices, diverse audiences and the institutions that bring them together. This is a place to document and discuss 'A Multi Sensory Approach' and related work.
Fabrica presents a series of practice sharing events for artists and other professionals working with the arts in health, social care, education and gallery settings.
Jointly devised by Liz Whitehead, a Co-director of Fabrica gallery, and artist Naomi Kendrick, the programme sets out to explore various approaches to working with diverse audiences, using the contemporary visual arts.
This series of events draws directly on Naomi’s research into and practice of a multisensory approach to engaging with people about contemporary art. It also draws on the perspectives of other artists, researchers, social care and health professionals, to articulate the challenges and opportunities particular to these contexts – both for artists and participants.
Working with Diverse Audiences comprises workshops, professional presentations and peer critique sessions. It is aimed at giving participants a rounded learning experience, and encouraging best practice.
This half-day workshop is designed as a practical introduction to Naomi’s multi-sensory method, why this method is useful for working with a diverse group and as a way of encouraging participants to think more directly and personally about the many ways an exhibition can be interpreted and explored.
£5 including lunch. (Takes place at Friends Meeting House)
Professional Practice Presentation - Dr Amanda Ravetz
Monday 21 November, 7-9pm
Ravetz is a visual anthropologist who uses video to explore creativity, improvisation and play. In 2010 she undertook a residency at Arts Reverie in Ahmedabad, India, culminating in the short film Entry, made with local residents over the course of one day. She is the co-author of Observational Cinema: Anthropology, Film and the Exploration of Social Life.
Free entry
Second Sight
Monday 21 November, 2.30-4pm and Tuesday 22 November, 1.30-3pm
Second Sight workshops are regular events in Fabrica’s education programme – two events take place per exhibition. Lead by Naomi Kendrick, the workshops explore the current exhibition through an audio described tour, and through sound, touch, smell, and group discussion. After the workshop participants will have the chance to take part in a short discussion about their experience of workshop.
Free entry
Working With Diverse Audiences Peer Critique
Tuesday 22 November 5-7pm
These sessions are for those who have attended at least one Second Sight workshop and/or A Multisensory Approach workshop. The sessions provide a space for discussion about participants’ current practice and working environment, and as a way of participants generating ideas to be taken forward.
£5 (including refreshments)
For further information, or to book for any of the events contact office@fabrica.org.uk or phone 01273 778646
'Working with Diverse Audiences' - Talk & Presentation May 2011
Fabrica May 2011- Rendezvous Programme - FABRICA
This is a synopsis of a 90 minute presentation with some additional thoughts.
• talk was given to an intimate peer group audience made of of artists and health professionals
- As audience settled a video entitled 'The Passion' by Rosemary was on screen
Note - All audio-visual material has been granted permission by the contributors for public viewing.
I was happy to be invited by Fabrica to give this talk as I felt that it was time to reflect on my work in healthcare both as a practitioner creating art & design for health environments and also as part of a large psycho-social team, as artist-in-residence in Trinity Hospice, London. This team delivered a varied care package to individuals & families both in hospice and as outreach. I am now seeking ways to 'converge' this broad experience working within relevant positions or pro-actively initiating further projects
Background
My 25 year career in the arts began with a 10 year period working as a Performance artist creating live installations where the audience had an important interactive role in shaping the direction of choreography, space and environment. This performance and subsequent physical theatre work generally required and thrived from audience participation and manipulation, sometimes to the point whereby my safety as a performer was compromised. It was definitely a time of testing my emotional and physical thresholds, whilst at the same time exploring established boundaries between audience and performer. In certain street performances I was bottled, physically threatened and assaulted. In more controlled environments I was fortunate to have some memorable experiences and audience contact which I continue to this day to process and contemplate both as protagonist but also with those that shared it.
My interest in healthcare lies within the opportunity to effect positive change in the built environment. My early work in performance, I believe, shapes how I view public buildings, their daily cycles, and the myriad of roles played out within by the staff and users. As an artist working on these environments, one has to be aware of what is expected of you, and act accordingly. In projects where lead artist roles are required to develop an art and design strategy within new build or large refurbishment projects, this role is pre-defined, and the artist takes on more of a consultancy role and is usually a member of a core design team. In later years I ventured into 'Public, digital and interactive art' and now have made a body of art & design work which has been made calling upon skills & experience gained in various methods of art production.
Artist's sometimes can't help themselves but challenge entrenched forms of institutional behaviour and can act as an important bridge between stakeholders, staff and third party interests in the design process. In institutions which are in a sensitive transition process, for example a move from old buildings to new...they can act as creative brokers between 'the public' and the organisation, yet still retain authenticity within an individual approach. People in the Uk still feel a strong sense of ownership of the NHS and it is this passion that should be harnessed to design and build environments which are models of best practise for all stakeholders.
We also have to be mindful that sometimes all hospitals want and need is some good art & design…and why should we argue with that? There is a growing body of evidence that supports the need for good basic art & design in healthcare environments. There isn't one research body that collates all this research but a good place to start looking is the Arts Council's literature review which is dated 2004.
When you begin to dig, you can find much research to back-up most forms of creative activity within hospitals and healthcare. However, it is very dry research and there remains a large vacuum for a researcher to compile a publication on this interesting area....perhaps it is being written as I am writing this. It wouldn't hurt to do some serious scientific research into the effects of lighting, wall colour, good design & way-finding etc.
I believe that simple changes can bring huge benefits. For example...I have been in situations where I have proposed the specifying of one or two brighter colours for a 400 metre long corridor rather than an off-white or magnolia, these are the spaces that affect peoples lives moods and focus for 365 days a year, day-in day-out. This might sound simple...it is not, and can be an uphill struggle to even effect minor changes within a large institution.
Most of the work in larger projects is hidden and forms the prosaic tasks of designing, managing, producing, advocating and installing artwork which has been rubber stamped by committees, fund-raisers and users. The culture of art & design production is changing thankfully to from an 'us & them' approach to artists being part of a core design team. This saves time, money and presents opportunities where art can be built into the fabric of the building rather than an after thought.
There are many scenarios where this experience can be utilised. In large hospital new
-builds, for example, consultation with users and staff is part of the lexicon of design & build. Stakeholder representation and input is now embedded in hospital culture. However, this also creates another new layer of management…more meetings, more demands on staff schedules, so it must be done with sensitivity to existing managerial frameworks.
Few architects, designers or artists have intimate knowledge of the raised anxiety levels, emotional stress or physical ailments that are presented every day to health practitioners and carers. However it is safe to assume that all of us will at some stage of our lives, whether that is to give birth, be treated for an injury in A & E, or visit a relative or family member being treated for an illness, use the services of our health service.
This is why the healthcare environment is of interest to me. It serves everyone, it is incredibly diverse in the care delivered and the physical spaces which deliver the care, and the Uk is going through a seismic psychological shift from smaller care centres to huge regional hospitals that provide a whole range of care under one roof. The Uk is also suffers from a plethora of older buildings ranging from pre-florence nightingale to the present day. It is an area of design, architecture & design which can have a direct and tangible subliminal or psychological impact on the building user, hopefully in a positive way.
- a short evaluation of my most recent project where I acted as 'Lead Artist' on an art & design refurbishment for the BHOC.
Various art & design solutions where employed to maximise the potential of an existing budget of approximately £50,000 to provide uplifting environments for reception areas, waiting rooms and art installations that provided orienteering mechanisms within the building. A way-finding strategy was also developed that used large vinyl graphics as floor level markers for life exits and stairwells.
Broad range of approaches were used within existing and immovable design specifications, including photographic original prints & narratives derived from authentic artistis research in the cal environment, thus embedding the imagery within a local framework. Bespoke artworks (MUG installation, Quilt artwork & Lift Light-box works), Large vinyl wall graphics & bespoke laminate tables. It also included large portions of stakeholder consultation and contributions to various artworks. This project has been short-listed for a Building Better Healthcare (BHH) award (Best use of Visual arts in healthcare) to be announced in November 2011. http://www.bbhealthcare.co.uk/show.php?
I come from family who have almost 100% (on one side) been involved in medical care or health provision in many forms so it seems natural for me to be involved in this field of work.
I was originally appointed as a 'digital artist in residence' at Trinity by Rosettalife, an organisation who has an impressive track record of initiating creative placements and projects within palliative care environments. Now, a few years on, many artists who had posts within hospices have suffered from the economic pressures of the times and have had there contracts terminated. But let's move on from talking about the economic times we live in...this work immediately presents us with difficult scenaros.
How do you enagage someone in a meaningful way, culturally and emotionally amidst the baggage and clinical reality of dying.
PAIN / FEAR / ANXIETY / MEDICATION / FAMILY LOVED ONES / CARE STRATEGIES / FUTURE PLANS WILLS / GETTING THROUGH TODAY
"I feel like an investigative journalist, searching for kernels of truth and armed with only a camera, trying to get decent footage with little time amongst the whirlwind of clinical terminal care..."
Chris Rawlence - Director of Media Rosettalife.
There are many contradictions that surface whilst working as an artist within institutions. On the one hand, I saw for myself how energising and positive creative intervention at the final stages of life can be. On the other hand, from a clinical perspective, why should it be the responsibility of a hospice/healthcare institution to deliver forms of creative contact, explore the meaning of life, or exploring one's identity (for example)? In 2008 the government published the 'End of Life Strategy'. A report that states that amongst many objectives, we need to provide services that are more person centred, that cater for the needs of a highly complex society. Art & creative intervention can act as a bridging mechanism between user and management in palliative care and other healthcare scenarios. It allows us to all think of ourselves as 'significant individuals' within a system where we are all stakeholders.
A social worker who shall remain nameless for issues of confidentiality once said of Trinity Hospice (although I'm sure he wouldn't mind being named) -
" What this place needs is more Sex, drugs & Rock & Roll"
This translates as - If we are to care diligently for a age of people with lifestyles then who are we to say what they get up to in their private rooms? We did actually get a visit from Lemmy from Motorhead as he was visiting an old friend. I would have got his autograph if only I'd have been on duty…(provokes thought of new Kronenburg advert..yes we all have to slow down sometime.) http://youtu.be/khJKq_kJK7Q
Some people I have been privileged to have worked with.
Note on Equality of care.
How does one give equal care to a broad range of backgrounds, narratives and wide range of extreme physical decline? Contact time ranged from years to 5 minutes. How do you train to be able to engage in a meaningful way with a 32 year old crack addict mother of two on high dosages of pain relief (& therefore 'medicated'), who is about to die? Surely the time spent attempting engagement is as important if not more, than the creative products of work with people who understand the lexicon of creative expression. The majority of people I worked with had not done anything creative (in their opinion) since they had been at school.
You do what you can, you listen, act and attempt to make contact or dialogue. You try to make something even a small audio recording. You try to make something more substantial if there is a will and a way. Sometimes witnessing is enough and incredibly important.
I played a short audio recording of an 83 year old woman who had needed someone to witness her story of being sent by her mother to England, aged 12 from Vienna. Her mother and some of her immediate family subsequently died in Nazi concentration camps. Her reason for wanting to document this was because everyday of her life she had felt incredible guilt about not being able to save her mother and aunt. In her words, she had lived a 'nightmare' everyday of her life because of her guilt. I believe that she had not been able to discuss this with anyone during her lifetime and the recording was passed on to her family at her request.
DAVID
David is one of the first people I worked with and because of this had a relationship lasting three years. He was someone who used his predicament to lobby those in positions of influence to effect positive change both in the hospice movement and within his local borough of Lambeth. He gained notoriety for this approach and our work became part of this process. He had burmese carers so naturally was interested in the Burmese uprising in 2007 so we agreed to make a short film of shaving his hair off in solidarity with the Burmese monks. This became also a potent metaphor for his own story, purification or preparation for death. Most days he wore a shirt emblazoned with "I'm not dead yet". This was a visual response to everyone that asked him "How are you today?", using ironic humour to mock our inability to discuss debilitating illness in a straightforward way. I asked him how he would prefer to be greeted...I suggested " How don't you do?" as a possible replacement.
We filmed with the help of a PHD student Naomi Richards in an ad-hoc studio set-up in his sheltered accommodation communal hall, taking a series of stills throughout the process. I chatted to him atempting the role of a mockney barber and asking him about the troubles in Burma. The result was a time-based auto portrait that simply plotted his evolution from hirsuit to shaven headed. It has no audio and allows us the audience to see david in a state of metamorphosis, the context of his illness hints of changes to come and the transition that we all must make from our physical state.
The resulting limited editioned print was used as a calling card and Boris Johnson amongst others now own a copy, given to him when being lobbied by David.
Clemon
A series of interviews were made with Clemon that catalogued his life story and his struggle with coming to terms with various cancers over a 19 year period. This was scripted into a video work in which he will play the role of himself, using a clever combination of fact and fantasy to beguile the audience and intentionally lead them into exploring their own mortality, future and state of health. this image shows him performing one of of the characters in this world.
"my father once said to me...the brain is like a freshly-mown lawn, whereby if you tread in it the grass will spring back to the shape it was.."
Lyn was a prominent neuro-psychiatrist and roughly the same age as myself when I met her. In her career she made important research into the effects of dopamine on the brain amongst many other strands of research. This was ironic to her as she battled with a brain tumour. I made a series of interviews with her that were intended for family to perhaps give them an opportunity for reflection in the future. I decided that her stories would be better served by using them in tandem with abstract imagery, to enable us to focus on her words and to give them another framework. This tableau was created by Lee Dyer in collaboration, a graphic artist and filmmaker. The moving imagery was a creative response to a conversation I had with her about how her sight at times failed her as the tumour began to affect her sight.
Terri
Theresa used her work with me as a bridge to talk about how she felt day to day within her own personalised care strategy. She suffered from the degenerative disease of Motor Neuron Disease (MND), a disease with a usual prognosis of death within 4 years from detection. She had long relationship with the hospice and her eventual death affected everyone that had worked with her over her time as an out-patient and inpatient. I assisted her in making portraits of herself, no, correction…portraits of the objects that she has used or assisted her during her physical decline. She then used this image, with my assistance as a way of discussing between departments, how she felt that she was 'seen' by staff within the hospice. We like to say things like, 'You are so brave Theresa' but all she wanted to express was the fact that most days she felt crap and weak, and not at all …brave. This inter-departmental meeting hosted by myself with theresa surprised everyone by allowing an outpouring of emotion from everyone in the room, a moment of release that was refreshing in an environment where it is difficult to speak the truth for fear of upsetting anyone.
Anna was gravely ill and did not suffer fools gladly. She had written poetry ever since she was young. I don't not know how many people have read her poetry in her lifetime. She needed, but didn't ask for, help to type, edit, design a simple layout for a book and publish it online...where it now resides to be bought by anyone. It exists as a testament to her mysterious life and work.
I read one of her poems to finish this presentation, and realised that as I spoke, it might have been the first time anyone else has heard her written words...almost a premonition. She wrote the poem aged 25.
Poem written Bedford Styvensen Brooklyn N.Y.C 1981
for Eileen Orwell & me
These tragic women
whose tragedy is my own
and not my own
Who die in northern England
nursing homes
of cancer
when dusk is falling
Who fade on remote country estates
of terror shock and sheer heartbreak
when their one child is murdered
by the rougher males
in Brixton or Eton
these women of the haunted eyes
and secret sorrows
and buried lies
lost in unshed tears
as grey as England
as cruel and un cried
as those whose gaze i cannot bear
whose dreadful power loss I share
even as I thank the God
I was born far away in warmer shores
bearing blood of a different race
whose hatreds I will also
not escape
I pray that when I die
I may learn to die not like them
spare me the deaths of English women
in the secret cells
of grieving at the cruelty
and coldness
pitched beyond believing
Let me not fade away
in that dreadful unclaimed sorrow
where land dissolves beneath your feet
in hideous slow motion
onto the crumbling suns and sins
and sons of England
in dishonest ancient Britain
Down and out
in Paris, History, or London
Synopsis
Many institutions do not have an open culture of debate, where positive contributions can be discussed and a natural dialogue between staff and management creates an exciting culture and creates it's own momentum. This is unfortunate for those who wish to modernise or improve the overall quality of holistic care.
Most complimentary services in healthcare are entrenched in inter-departmental tension, each vying to be taken seriously, each competing for funds (more so since the 2008 recession) alongside important clinical provision. In my opinion a progressive organisation should have an open culture of debate, allowing new ideas to flow naturally and help in the modernisation of societies' attitude towards death & dying, an ageing population and ultimately the provision of better care, in keeping with the goals of the End of Life Strategy.
I do not see creative intervention as 'complimentary' - nor do I consider therapeutic massage, counselling, bereavement work and other forms as 'complimentary'.
This devalues it substantially and the origin of the language perhaps hails from 80's corporate culture…as if it is a complimentary biscuit on the side of the saucer of the all important clinically proven tea & coffee. I speak as an ITEC trained masseur so I know the numerous benefits massage can have.
About Working with Diverse Audiences 2011 - 2012 Fabrica presents a series of practice sharing events for artists and other professionals working with the arts in health, social care, education and gallery settings. Jointly devised by Liz Whitehead, a Co-director of Fabrica gallery, and artist Naomi Kendrick, the programme sets out to explore various approaches to working with diverse audiences, using the contemporary visual arts. The programme draws directly on Naomi’s research into and practice of a multisensory approach to engaging with people about contemporary art. It also draws on the perspectives of other artists, researchers, social care and health professionals, to articulate the challenges and opportunities particular to these contexts – both for artists and participants. Working with Diverse Audiences comprises workshops, professional presentations and peer critique sessions. It is aimed at giving participants a rounded learning experience, and encouraging best practice.
A Focus on Second Sight. For July's round of Working with Diverse Audiences Participants were invited to attend one of two Second Sight workshops and a peer critique session. As a result Second Sight was attended by a fantastic group of participants ranging from our regulars from St Dunstans and City Synergy to professionals working within gallery education and healthcare settings. This is an account of what happened when we encountered the exhibition ‘Cascade’ by Stéphane Cauchy…
The audio described tour of Cascade
Second Sight, which I have been running for almost 10 years, is an exploration of the current exhibition through an audio described tour, and through sound, touch, smell, and group discussion. Second Sight is attended by a diverse audience and is particularly popular with visually impaired and blind people. Within the context of Working with Diverse Audiences this was a chance for professionals to take part in a multi-sensory workshop and learn through participation.
The audio described tour of Cascade
About the exhibition…‘Cascade is a kinetic sculpture in which nine buckets, interconnected by a pulley system are suspended from the roof above a large pool. Water is pumped into each bucket until, at a critical point, it tips and empties, releasing its contents into the pool below. The flow of water – from pool to pipe, to bucket and back to the pool – creates a perpetual cycle of filling and emptying. The buckets rise and fall in cascading rhythms like bells rung in a series of changes or a string of buoys set adrift on a choppy swell. Stéphane Cauchy is an installation artist based in Lille, France and he uses simple mechanical devices that often take the form of improbable laboratory experiments. He aims to give physical form to the dialogue between science and philosophy and to represent the ways in which we seek to understand the world and our place in it….’
Participants discuss their response to Cascade
Participants handle a series of objects selected by Naomi in response to
Cascade and other work by Cauchy
The Response…One of the many things I enjoy about running Second Sight is the influence the participant’s response to the exhibition, has on my own singular perception of it. My experience of the work is added to through that of others, enhancing it. Participant's comments about this particular exhibition fell into two distinct areas, one was curiosity around the technical, kinetic workings of the installation. For example wondering if the work had a timer, trying to establish if there was a pattern to which bucket ‘fell’ when. The other response became graphing more philosophical ideas on to the work. For example seeing the work as a cycle of life being constantly renewed with buckets representing people ascending to heaven and others appearing simultaneously, ‘just born’. Someone suggested that is was easier to apply these existential ideas to the work because of its simple functional appearance, rather than if the work had an already organic, ethereal look to it. Other people in the group associated the work (negatively) with hospitals and morgues because of this functional aesthetic. Calm, sadness, anxiety, anticipation, curiosity and serenity were just some of the words used to describe the emotional state Cascade evoked in participants.
Participants create a made response to their discussions around 'Cascade'
Participant Feedback (Regulars)
‘The Tactile objects helped me more with creative thinking’
‘I enjoyed telling my wife about it when I got home’
'The audio description played a big part in my experience'
‘I loved it! I thought it was one of the best afternoons I’ve had in years, I felt alive (for once). It was also the right kind of exhibition for me.’
‘Found the work interesting but pointless; but am intrigued at what the next one will be’
‘A little bit more introduction to the work and the building would help. Being elderly I thought that it took probably longer time to adjust to the environment’
'I would probably not have attended the exhibition if I had not received the invitation. Having attended, the exchange of views and ideas on the exhibition gave an extra dimension to the experience.'
(Professionals)
‘I really appreciated this (multi sensory) approach as I know the St Dunstaners would have been looking for extra information – It was very thorough’
‘Very much loved it and the installation we did afterwards. It somehow took the mystery out of public art and the hands on experience helped me to understand it better. Our impromptu response was great fun and we were rather proud.’
‘I like the description of it that was quite precise and in depth. Even as I was seeing the installation having it described gave me another appreciation. Having had the discussion and hearing the different perspectives from the other participants helped me to appreciate the impact the installation makes.’
‘The conversation facilitation – I have a personal fear of all having to say one thing when in a circle, when it creeps around, it just doesn’t work for me. I would have preferred to have done this in break-out groups that mixed us all up a bit.’
‘For me it wasn’t more multi-sensory than I am used to! It should be standard practice to audio-describe in creative workshops, and it was nicely built into the format.’
‘It was really great; I liked the format, the style and the positive atmosphere. Very nicely done!
My Diary – Peer Critique
The word Isolation comes up a lot when working with diverse audiences, older and visually impaired and blind people have talked to me about feeling isolated, citing this as another reason why participating in art events can be positive. I think, particularly in light of discussions during peer critiques, that the word isolation is also of relevance to the artists who work with those diverse audiences. I refer to isolation for an artist in the professional context, rather than the far more complex and affecting form of isolation from society my workshop participants have communicated to me.
To a certain extent the problem of isolation when working as a lone artist freelancer is eased by the fact that we are often working with groups of people in for example a workshop setting. Workshops generate ideas, provoke discussion reveal shared experiences. But is it a complete exchange? We remain the facilitators, a witness to exchange rather than a true participant in it perhaps? One of the things I have really appreciated so far through working on this programme of research, is the opportunity to exchange experiences and views with other professionals working in a similar area to me, and the feedback from them has echoed this.
There is a big difference between networking and allowing time for reflection and conversation between artists, as we have been able to do in the Peer Critiques. The nature of our work means that we tend to ‘drop in’ as specialists, to different organisations, our day to day contact being with managers, volunteers and participants rather than each other. Many of us will have studios near to other artist's studios, certainly a ground for discussion. But do we really discuss the full extent of our practice here? Or just the part of it which takes place within the studio walls, what of the rest? This can be seen as a further separating out of aspects of an artist’s practice, aspects that could benefit from being acknowledged and developed as one. One of the things discussed in July's Peer Critique was the fact that as artists we have many hats, and we often feel a need to consolidate them, to treat them as a whole in order to be able to see our practice clearly and take it forward.
During the Peer Critiques it has been fascinating to follow developments in other peoples practices and to discover that the questions, sticking points and thought processes around it are more often than not the same as your own, or have been and will be again. Through listening to others you naturally begin to address things in your own work. Discovering more about exciting projects people have initiated, sharing information and ideas is a fantastic opportunity but ultimately what this affords, is moral support and a sense of belonging - Something that connects us further to the needs of some of our participants, and surely through an increase in these meaningful exchanges leaves us better positioned to develop and therefore improve the quality and scope of work we carry out with our audiences.
The November programme of Working with Diverse Audiences will include; a hands on 'Sensory Approach' workshop for professionals, Second Sight workshops, a peer critique session and a guest speaker talk. If you would like to participate please contact Clare Hankinson 01273 778646 clare.hankinson@fabrica.org.uk for more information.
