Cultural commissioning

Research into the impact of arts-based health workshops for people with early onset dementia and their caregivers is being supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The two-year project, which received £113,000, is one of the first to use the arts to help care for dementia patients under the age of 65.

Drama, dance and storytelling practitioners will help university researchers in Nottingham and Derby deliver workshops based on neuro-dramatic play, an attachment-based model that builds the ability to cope using creativity. 

Participants will take part in drama, role-play, storytelling and music-making with an eye to improving their quality of life, family relationships and ability to manage a dementia diagnosis.

“Our hope is to take our findings from this initial project and continue to develop this research and toolkit to develop so it can have further national and international impact,” lead investigator Dr Clive Holmwood said.

Middlesbrough has set its sights on becoming the UK’s most creative town after investing £5m in cultural development.

The town secured £4.25m from the Government’s Cultural Development Fund, which will be topped up by match funding.

Financed projects expected to create almost 90 jobs include a fabrication laboratory within the Central Library and a £1m renovation of artists' space the Auxiliary. 

During the developments, Middlesbrough Cultural Partnership will rotate its chair to ensure equitable representation and pay every artist involved in the works.
    
Middlesbrough Council Head of Culture Charlotte Nicol said collaboration will be at the heart of the partnership, and key to achieving its ambition.

“This more equitable approach is what will help set us apart, providing an accessible platform for creativity, as well as additional pathways to opportunity and success for people living in and around our vibrant town.”

Fifty creative professionals will develop an immersive storytelling experience as one of the 10 commissioned projects for UNBOXED 2022.

Billed as the biggest project of its kind ever in the UK, StoryTrails will use augmented and virtual reality to reanimate public spaces in 15 locations across the country this summer.

The recruited creatives will co-produce, design and write the project, with support from StoryFutures Academy, the UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling.

UNBOXED Chief Creative Officer Martin Green says the creatives were recruited from diverse backgrounds: “In doing so, they are playing a vital role in building a dynamic future workforce for the creative industries in the UK.”

StoryTrails will run between July 1 and September 18, culminating in a film presented in cinemas and on BBC iPlayer.