James’s talk will focus on the concept of care aesthetics and its claim that the practice of care can be understood as embodied, sensory and craft like – that is for its aesthetics. His current research moves away from considering the arts in care settings, to attend to the aesthetic experience created within health care contexts through the work of health and social care practitioners. James will present on the origins of his interest in care aesthetics and then examine its application to work in different care contexts, largely focusing on older people care. He will draw on existing empirical work focusing on care for people in secure dementia wards and in male grooming in care homes, particularly examining practices, movements, and micro moments of care through a care aesthetic lens. The talk will draw on material developed through the CARE project funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council and outline the future plans for the Care Lab based at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester.
James Thompson is Professor of Applied Theatre at the University of Manchester. He was the co-founder of the TiPP Centre and founder of In Place of War and now runs a research project on Care Aesthetics and co-directs the Care Lab, at the Whitworth Art Gallery. He has run theatre projects internationally and has written widely on applied theatre and socially engaged arts. His new book Care Aesthetics: For Careful Art and Artful Care was published in 2022.
Location
23-25 January 2025
Kontakt der Kontinenten, Amersfoortsestraat 20
3769 AS Soesterberg
Online
23-25 January 2025
Kontakt der Kontinenten, Amersfoortsestraat 20
3769 AS Soesterberg
Online
Contact info Louis van den Hengel
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