A virtual arts in health project supporting two groups of adults experiencing mental health problems and a third group of brain injury survivors, to access creativity from home by creating story chains of visual art and creative writing inspired by each other’s work.
See this exhibition in our virtual gallery:
Listen to a piece of audio recorded as part of the exhibition here:
The Arts Team, Cardiff & Vale Health Charity was delighted to take part in a cross- Wales HARP Sprint project initiated by Y Lab and Nesta’s People Powered Results Team at the beginning of lockdown, which focussed on the virtual delivery of arts interventions for vulnerable groups. As many of our face to face hospital and community projects have had to be placed on hold, there is an increasing need to support vulnerable patients and people within our communities during the Covid 19 crisis through online sessions.
The project with Y Lab/Nesta offered an ideal opportunity to explore the delivery of creative arts in new ways, and a collaboration between Cardiff and Vale UHB, the VC Gallery in Pembrokeshire and Swansea Bay UHB enabled us to design and deliver our project, Rengarific, an innovative and versatile arts platform.
Rengarific provided opportunities for adults with mental health support needs and brain injury survivors to take part in easily accessible and meaningful online arts activities for the benefit of their wellbeing.
We are delighted to exhibit work created by the Neuropsychiatry Department Day Centre group at Hafan y Coed, and two groups of veterans and community members from the VC Gallery in Pembrokeshire including paintings, sketches, creative writing, photography and ceramics through our virtual Hearth Gallery.
Our Rengarific platform creates story chains or rengas of multi-media visual art and creative writing that are inspired during each weekly session by other participants’ artworks, thoughts and feelings. The chained, open creative responses are presented in a padlet form and encourage and inspire each member to connect with their peers through shared art.
As part of the Rengarific project, the team commissioned Lee Aspland to facilitate sessions, and also worked with staff members at Hafan y Coed, University Hospital Llandough to deliver sessions to a group of brain injury survivors.
“My intuition was that we needed to give the participants the opportunity to talk and create art about the lockdown that we were all living through. I chose to share this particular photo because it is an example of using photography to help process challenging thoughts and emotions caused by the lockdown. Art can do this. Rengarific then challenged the participants to create some art inspired by this photo. It was made clear that their inspiration could be any art and if they liked, just related to the photos colours, shapes or patterns, or they could follow the lockdown theme. Nearly everyone created something related to their lockdown experience; of course the discussion and art development went on from there. I do believe that this project gave everyone the opportunity to positively work through a difficult time through creating art.”
-Lee Aspland, commissioned artist, Rengarific
Feedback from Staff Members, Neuropsychiatry Department:
‘’The Rengarific art project has been very positive experience for attendees and staff at the Neuropsychiatry service. Prior to lockdown we ran a variety of weekly support groups including a creative project group. Lockdown inevitably brought this to a halt along with some of the benefits that came with it i.e. an opportunity for peer support, social connection, cognitive stimulation as well as creative thinking and exploration.”
“The project was so well received that once the 4 weeks came to an end, the group requested that the sessions continue and they are still just as enthusiastic about creating art and engaging in discussions around it.”
“We are thankful to have been given the opportunity to take part.’’
Through this collaborative project we were able to develop a flexible and versatile arts intervention which enabled participants to respond creatively in the art medium of their choice, and in response to work created by their colleagues through a virtual arts project. Rengarific offered an opportunity to discuss feelings, thoughts and inspiration and to build connectedness and feelings of togetherness during challenging times, and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We hope that Rengarific can be useful to many other people during lockdown and beyond as a powerful tool to aid self-expression, empowerment and confidence for our hospitals and wider community. Please get in touch if you would like to learn more about the project:
Melanie.wotton@wales.nhs.uk
Melanie Wotton – Arts in Health Project Manager
Read more about the project:
https://ylab/wales/harp-sprint-rengarific
Mae prosiect celfyddydau mewn iechyd rhithiol yn cefnogi dau grŵp o oedolion â phroblemau iechyd meddwl a thrydydd grŵp o oroeswyr anafiadau i’r ymennydd, i achub ar gyfleoedd i fod yn greadigol o gartref drwy greu cadwyni stori o gelf weledol ac ysgrifennu creadigol wedi’u hysbrydoli gan waith ei gilydd.
Roedd Tîm Celf Elusen Iechyd Caerdydd a’r Fro wrth ei fodd yn cael cymryd rhan mewn prosiect ledled Cymru a ysgogwyd gan Y Lab a NESTA ar ddechrau cyfnod y cyfyngiadau symud a oedd yn canolbwyntio ar gyflwyno ymyrraeth gelfyddydol yn rhithiol i grwpiau agored i niwed. Gan fod nifer o’n prosiectau wyneb yn wyneb yn y gymuned ac mewn ysbytai wedi’u gohirio, mae angen cynyddol i gefnogi cleifion a phobl agored i niwed o fewn ein cymunedau yn ystod argyfwng Covid 19 drwy sesiynau ar-lein.
Cynigiodd y prosiect gyda Y Lab/Nesta y cyfle perffaith i archwilio sut i gyflwyno’r celfyddydau creadigol mewn ffyrdd newydd, ac fe wnaeth gwaith ar y cyd rhwng BIP Caerdydd a’r Fro, Oriel VC yn Sir Benfro a BIP Bae Abertawe ein galluogi i ddylunio a chyflwyno ein prosiect, Rengarific, platfform celfyddydol arloesol ac amrywiol.
Rhoddodd Rengarific gyfleoedd i oedolion gydag anghenion cymorth iechyd meddwl a goroeswyr anafiadau i’r ymennydd gymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau celfyddydau hygyrch ac arwyddocaol ar-lein er budd eu lles.
Rydym wrth ein bodd yn arddangos gwaith a grëwyd gan grŵp Canolfan Ddydd Adran Niwroseiciatreg Hafan y Coed, a dau grŵp o gyn-filwyr ac aelodau’r gymuned o Oriel VC yn Sir Benfro, gan gynnwys paentiadau, brasluniau, ysgrifennu creadigol, ffotograffiaeth a chrochenwaith drwy ein Horiel Hearth rhithiol.
Mae ein llwyfan Rengarific yn creu cadwyni stori (‘rengas’) o waith celf gweledol amlgyfrwng ac ysgrifennu creadigol sy’n cael eu hysbrydoli yn ystod pob sesiwn wythnosol gan waith celf, meddyliau a theimladau cyfranogwyr eraill. Caiff yr ymatebion creadigol, agored cysylltiedig eu cyflwyno ar ffurf padlet gan annog ac ysbrydoli pob aelod i gysylltu â’u cymheiriaid drwy gelf a rennir.
Fel rhan o brosiect Rengarific, gwnaeth y tîm gomisiynu Lee Aspland i hwyluso’r sesiynau, a gweithiodd hefyd gydag aelodau staff Hafan y Coed, Ysbyty Athrofaol Llandochau i ddarparu sesiynau i grŵp o oroeswyr anafiadau i’r ymennydd.
“Fy meddylfryd oedd fod angen i ni roi’r cyfle i’r cyfranogwyr siarad a chreu gwaith celf am y cyfyngiadau symud yr oeddem oll yn eu hwynebu. Dewisais rannu’r llun penodol hwn am ei fod yn enghraifft o ddefnyddio ffotograffiaeth i helpu i brosesu meddyliau ac emosiynau heriol y mae’r cyfyngiadau symud yn eu hachosi. Gall gwaith celf wneud hyn. Yna gwnaeth Rengarific herio’r cyfranogwyr i greu gwaith celf wedi’i ysbrydoli gan y llun hwn. Esboniwyd y gallai eu hysbrydoliaeth fod yn unrhyw waith celf ac os hoffent, gallai fod yn gysylltiedig â’r lliwiau, siapiau neu batrymau yn y llun, neu gallent ddilyn thema’r cyfyngiadau symud. Gwnaeth bron pawb greu rhywbeth oedd yn gysylltiedig â’u profiad o’r cyfyngiadau symud; dyma oedd wrth wraidd y drafodaeth a’r gwaith celf a ddatblygwyd yn dilyn hynny. Rwy’n credu bod y prosiect hwn wedi rhoi’r cyfle i bawb ymateb i gyfnod anodd iawn mewn ffordd gadarnhaol drwy greu gwaith celf.”
-Lee Aspland, artist wedi’i gomisiynu, Rengarific
Adborth gan Aelodau Staff, Adran Niwroseiciatreg:
“Mae prosiect celf Rengarific wedi bod yn brofiad cadarnhaol iawn ar gyfer y cyfranogwyr a’r staff yn y gwasanaeth Niwroseiciatreg. Cyn y cyfyngiadau symud, roeddem yn cynnal grwpiau cymorth wythnosol, gan gynnwys grŵp prosiect creadigol. Yn anochel, daeth y sesiynau hyn i ben yn sgil y cyfyngiadau symud, ynghyd â rhai o’r buddiannau a oedd yn gysylltiedig â nhw, h.y. cyfle am gefnogaeth gan gymheiriaid, cyswllt cymdeithasol, ysgogiad gwybyddol, a’r cyfle i feddwl yn greadigol ac archwilio.”
“Roedd y prosiect mor boblogaidd fel bod y grŵp wedi gofyn am i’r sesiynau barhau ar ôl i’r pedair wythnos ddod i ben, ac maent yr un mor frwdfrydig ag erioed am greu celf a chyfrannu at drafodaethau am hynny.”
“Rydym yn ddiolchgar am y cyfle i gymryd rhan.”
Trwy’r prosiect cydweithredol hwn, roeddwn i’n gallu datblygu ymyrraeth gelfyddydol hyblyg ac amrywiol a oedd yn galluogi cyfranogwyr i ymateb yn greadigol trwy gyfrwng celf o’u dewis, ac ymateb i waith a grëwyd gan eu cydweithwyr drwy brosiect celf rhithiol. Mae Rengarific yn cynnig cyfle i drafod teimladau, meddyliau ac ysbrydoliaeth ac i adeiladu cysylltedd a theimladau o fod gyda’n gilydd ar adegau heriol, ac fe wnaeth pawb fwynhau’n fawr. Rydym y gobeithio y gall Rengarific fod yn ddefnyddiol i lawer o bobl yn ystod y cyfnod clo a thu hwnt fel arf hynod bwerus i helpu hunanfynegiant, grym a hyder i’n hysbytai a’n cymuned ehangach. Cysylltwch os hoffech chi gael rhagor o wybodaeth am y prosiect:
Melanie.wotton@wales.nhs.uk
Melanie Wotton – Rheolwr Prosiect y Celfyddydau mewn Iechyd
Darllenwch fwy am y prosiect:
https://ylab.wales/index.php/harp-sprint-rengarific
