Mixed media | Creative Health and Community Wellbeing Group, Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship 2024 (Cohort 7): Sarthak Dhungana (Nepal), Alaa Elkarargy (Egypt), Susana Igreja (Portugal), Akhila Khanna (U.S.), Priya Odedra (U.K.), Blessing Essien (Nigeria)
Creating Care Beyond Borders is a co-designed project by the Creative Health and Community Wellbeing Group for the Global Arts in Medicine Fellowship. Amidst diverse cultures, languages and values, 'care' takes different forms. Research has shown that creativity, as a universal language of care, not only enhances individual well-being but fosters connection and empathy in both healthcare and community settings (Bastings, 2020). Through creative processes and collaboration, this project reveals the common threads that bind us and celebrates the unique ways in which care is interpreted, expressed and experienced.
Six arts and health practitioners, each living and working across six countries, asked their local communities one powerful question: 'What is care to you?' Community members (colleagues, students, patients, friends, and family) engaged in a collaborative process to honour indigenous wisdom and the interconnectedness of care. Methods of engagement included art and music workshops, 1:1 interviews, ideation sessions and reflective practice, which were co-produced and co-designed with community members. Creative outputs from these activities offered a rich tapestry of perspectives. Participants created mood boards and collages capturing emotions and thoughts around care, sculptures as playful physical representations of care and immersive experiences bringing care to life through sound and visuals.
The outcomes were collated in a short film redefining care beyond borders, which was displayed at TAMASHA, a festival celebrating arts and health initiatives worldwide (October 2024).
Creating Care Beyond Borders was more than a study of care; it became an act of care as the shared creative experiences cultivated a deeper understanding of what it means to care for one another in a complex, interconnected world. The project team hopes to expand the global creative care network by inviting individuals and organisations to explore the question 'What is care to you?' with their local communities using creative processes.
Priya's methodology and creative outputs
Physical care collage: patients (children and young people), their family members and staff from the Paediatrics wards at St Peter's Hospital were invited to respond to the question 'What is care to you?' using a medium of their choice including paint, pastels, pens, post-it notes, collage paper and stickers.
Online care collage: healthcare students, staff and patients were invited to contribute to a Miro board with the question 'What is care to you?' and various prompts using a range of tools including post-it notes, text, images and drawings.
Care totems: medical students were invited to make physical representations (i.e. objects or symbols) of care using plasticine.
