p_ART_icipate - Participatory Art, Design and Facilitation for Social Connectedness

Through the impact of Covid-19, societal needs for new tools for public interconnectedness, became evident. Research by key UK funding institutions (AHRC, UKRI, ACE) led to a deeper understanding of how participatory art contributes to greater mental wellbeing, but urgent questions remain about effective art facilitation strategies online. p_ART_icipate, a research team of artistic practitioners and Arts & Health professionals, examines the effect of online participatory art on social connectedness, devising clear guidelines for the online facilitation thereof.

Leading researchers (Dr Gingrich, Prof. Havsteen-Franklin, Dr Grant, Dr Tymoszuk), practitioners (Analema Group, NeuroCreate, Noise Abatement Society, Joy of Sound), cultural institutions (Brunel, QMUL, National Gallery), and social and health organizations (NHS, Royal National Institute of the Blind), investigate if and how participatory media art can contribute to perceived social connectedness online. Four artworks explore the potential for collaborative, multi-sensory experiences to increase mental well-being for the general public, as well as disproportionately affected groups. These are:

KIMA: Colour, an immersive art project developed for the National Gallery, interprets classic masterpieces of The National Gallery's collection as 360 sound and video experience. In collaboration with RNIB, Northern Ireland, we investigate whether participatory art can contribute to a sense of perceived closeness, through multi-sensory experiences among partially-sighted and colour-blind people using a wedge stepped model (N=15).

Zeitgeist consists of an interface for real-time visual representation of Flow mental states, measured by EEG headbands. Participants co-create music remotely, while observing visual indicators of their own creative stimulation. Working with Central & North West London NHS Trust Foundation, we assess scales of social closeness (IOS-scale), and wellbeing. Using focus groups, standardized scales (IOS, sWEMWBS), observation and interviews, we gather evidence on effects of participatory art among healthcare workers (N=12), immediately deployable in the Arts & Health context (workshops, team engagements).

KIMA: Voice explores harmonies between participants' voices. Voice frequency, amplitude and harmonies are visually represented, offering an interface for collaboration to participants in remote locations. Working with Joy of Sound, a charity specializing in participatory art for groups with motor-sensory difficulties, we create practice-based work with individuals in care homes unable to express themselves verbally. Building on a pilot with the Centre for Performance Science, we assess whether creative engagement through participatory art correlates with perceived closeness and mental well-being. This N-of-1 study design will apply a triangulation of methods (survey, observation, interviews), on a small sample of 3-5 individuals and their care-workers, recruited via Joy of Sound.

KIMA: Noise focuses on effects of urban noise on health in recreational areas. Building on previous research at Tate Modern with scientist, Prof. Stansfeld (QMUL), this new artwork sonifies noise in urban parks as an interactive, site-specific installation. The audience designs their own soundscapes, be it on site, or from home. This research measures mental wellbeing and social connectedness, in the context of working-from-home professionals (N=60). Recruitment is conducted via BU's public engagement team and includes MA and PhD students.

A larger, quantitative longitudinal study (IOS, sWEMWBS) encompassing all four artworks, assesses social connectedness and wellbeing in the wider public (N=200). All four artworks will be accessible for audiences, regardless of sensory disabilities or age. The research leads to immediately deployable outputs such as publications, exhibition of new artworks, a research report, and a whitepaper to inform future practitioners.