'We Belong Together' project backed by Leeds Beckett academic shortlisted for Markel Third Sector Care Awards

Dr Alan Dunn, Reader at Leeds Beckett University, worked with 48 participants in care village settings during the project, which aimed to tackle loneliness during the last lockdown.

He joined the ‘We Belong Together’ project, funded by Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) via Arts Council England, and explored the use of sound art within supported settings across Liverpool during the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2021.

The project aimed to tackle and understand the impact of contemporary art in combatting loneliness in care settings.

The award-nominated project took part over a 10-week period and involved 48 village apartment tenants who had not socialised for many months and were experiencing loneliness and isolation as a result.

The project gave them the chance to interact with artists and participate in creative activities.

Dr Alan Dunn, Reader in Art and Design at Leeds School of Arts, said: “We delivered all the sessions remotely and Belong team supported on the ground locally.

"We formed ‘orchestras’ in each village, creating an amazing array of sounds using everyday objects from cheese graters to doorbells, and objects including megaphones, whistles and the voices of tenants performing tongue twisters.

“In one village, we created beach soundtracks and the Belong team were amazing, decorating the room with an inflatable shark, ice cream, model lighthouse shells and the aroma of sun cream. We then performed an imaginary journey through a day on the beach and we really exercised our ear muscles and imaginations.”

The project was part of the wider ‘Where the Arts Belong’ initiative, a long-term Arts Council England and Baring Foundation-funded collaboration between Bluecoat, Liverpool’s centre for contemporary art, and Belong, providers of specialist care for those with dementia and their support networks.

Stacey McCann, Chief Operating Officer at Belong, said: “As well as providing an outlet for creativity, the workshops are a vehicle for wellbeing and social interaction. Participants reported how much they enjoy interacting with the artists and each other, discovering new things and how much they look forward to seeing their work brought to life.

“Overall feedback from the project has been very positive. 65% felt a stronger sense of belonging and felt there would be more people who would be there for them and 80% said they were less likely to feel lonely as a result of the project. Participants have gained the confidence to attempt things that otherwise they would not have felt comfortable trying and are keen to continue meeting and making things as a group.”

The project has been shortlisted for Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards 2021 within the Creative Arts Award category, with the application submitted on behalf of the project by Belong.

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