Arts & Health South West Podcast

This episode is a conversation between AHSW General Manager Hannah, Katrina Millar and Kirstie Millar, the creators of Ache magazine. Ache is an intersectional feminist publisher exploring illness, health, bodies and pain. The discussion explores the ways writing can be used as a vehicle for opening up irrational, subversive narratives about bodies, and how this can be a way of resisting the rational medical discourse on health. Other areas this episode touches on are personal experiences of Endometriosis, eating disorders and health anxiety, ways to approach health from a more intersectional perspective, and exploring illness creatively within a community. Find out more about Ache magazine at their website: https://achemagazine.co.uk/ You can buy Cusp, a new collection of feminist writing exploring bodies, myth and magic via their online shop: https://achemagazine.bigcartel.com Follow Ache on social media to hear about upcoming workshops and events, and future submission announcements: https://www.instagram.com/helloachemagazine/ https://twitter.com/ache_magazine Here are some more links related to the topics covered in the episode: --Race and Health is a collective of academics, artists, activists and individuals seeking to reverse the harmful effects racism and discrimination has on health. Website: https://raceandhealth.org/ / Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raceandhealth/ --Cori Smith is a trans man living with endometriosis. In this essay Cori speaks on the difficulties he has encountered when seeking gynaecological healthcare as a trans man: https://thoughtcatalog.com/cori-smith/2019/09/what-its-like-to-have-endometriosis-as-a-transgender-man/ —Endometriosis UK is a national charity that offers valuable resources for individuals who think they might have endometriosis or are living with the condition: https://endometriosis-uk.org/understanding-endometriosis —BEAT is a national eating disorder charity with information, resources and support: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ —Black Minds Matter is an organisation connecting black individuals with free mental health services and offering valuable mental health resources: https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com

Georgia Bowers is an applied theatre practitioner, researcher and academic currently undertaking her PhD at the University of Portsmouth and her research is interested in learning about how theatre can be used to disrupt the established narratives around ageing, and the impact this may have on participants. Georgia speaks about the ways that applied theatre might be able to create shame resilience among older adults. Georgia’s interest in this area started from a summer job as an activities coordinator in a care home, which provoked her to address her pre-conceptions about working with older adults and instead open up and be inspired by the vibrance and energy of her collaborators. She then began to develop an applied theatre practice by setting up a theatre company within the care home which helped the collective of residents tell their stories, learn about each other and build community. Her research builds on these experiences and seeks to measure what difference theatre can make to adults over 65 who take part in a regular theatrical intervention.

In this episode Colin Bray from Libraries Unlimited and Karen Leach Bowdler from Exeter Library join AHSW Coordinator Hannah Mumby for a conversation about libraries, art and wellbeing. They also discuss BellHouse, an interactive sound sculpture that took up residence at Exeter Library in October 2017. At the end of the episode you can hear a recording of BellHouse in action, and the artist Roop Johnstone talking about how he created it. www.librariesunlimited.org.uk www.devon.gov.uk/libraries www.bellhouseproject.com www.kaleider.com

Welcome to this podcast series of Stories from 2020. These stories come from our Annual Conference in November. The fifth story is from Pippa Jones, Director of Create Gloucestershire and and Abi Nicol, Fine Art Printmaker and Photographer, who talk about their work with artists to support people and communities during lockdown. Create Gloucestershire website: https://www.creategloucestershire.co.uk Abi Nicol’s website: http://www.abinicol.co.uk

In this episode, Hannah Mumby (AHSW General Manager) is joined by Jakki Weaden, a former nurse from Bristol who talks about her journey from working in nursing to now building a creative vocation in basketry-making. They share a conversation about the parallels between basketry, wound care, and horticulture; the metaphors associated with care and weaving; and the resourceful creative outlook needed to work in nursing. You can find Jakki’s work on Instagram at @jakkiweaden