Beautiful Feast:Exploring care through theatre artists at a care home
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Beautiful Feast: Exploring care aesthetics through artists at a care home
IRAS ID
329694
Contact name
James Thompson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 3 days
Research summary
This study is a performance ethnography that closely follows the work of two artists in residence at
Laurel Court Care home, an Assisted Living facility in Manchester, for 16 weeks (Jan-May 2024). This research is part of a broader AHRC-funded project, the Care Aesthetics Research Exploration (CARE) project at the University of Manchester.The study aims to examine the aesthetic practice of artists working in a care home. The aesthetic practice – what we are calling 'care aesthetics' – refers to how we might care for others, with sensory, embodied and crafted skills. The project will follow a team of artists as they work toward a celebratory, ‘Beautiful Feast’ involving all residents and staff, facilitated through creative, multi-artform workshops every week. The aim of the arts-based sessions, entirely designed by the artists who are experts in their field, is to positively involve as many residents and staff in the preparation of a fun special occasion (a feast), that celebrates all the staff, residents and carers at Laurel Court. The sessions include, for instance, exploring what it feels like to ‘dress up’ for the occasion, or imagining a menu in collaboration with kitchen staff and residents.
Participants include staff (interviewed and observed) and residents (observed only).The objective of the study is to explore and examine moments of creative work, that are simultaneously care work. We are interested in how artists contribute to the overall care work that takes place across an institution, becoming part of the overall care practice of that institution. The study thus seeks to expand our understanding of care as aesthetic: What does an aesthetics of care look and feel like for artists working in a care home, how can we capture particular ‘moments’ of care aesthetics, and how do staff respond to an artistic practice?
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
23/IEC08/0040
Date of REC Opinion
12 Dec 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion