Project Details
Description
This research was funded by The University of Manchester's UKRI-Research England Participatory Research fund and conducted between December 2023 and July 2024.
The research team consisted of:
Prof John McAuliffe (PI)
Dr Leandro Valiati (PI)
Dr Henry McPherson (PDRA)
Dr Tessa Harris (PDRA)
The project partnered with three organisations:
Made by Mortals (madebymortals.org)
Cartwheel Arts (cartwheelarts.org.uk)
Platt Hall (platthall.org)
Research Design:
The study employed a two-phase qualitative approach combining creative methods workshops with semi-structured interviews, focusing on professionals who had been involved in ABPR projects with the University since 2019.
Participant Recruitment:
12 professionals were recruited through three partner organizations
Participants included a mix of:
Freelance artists
Organizational employees (administrators, project managers)
Artist-facilitators
Artist-academics
Many participants held multiple roles within their organizations
Data Collection Phase 1 - Creative Methods Workshops:
Poetic Creative Writing Exercise:
Participants were guided through mindfulness exercises
Focus on embodied experience in ABPR workplaces
Generated poems based on their ABPR experience
Group discussion of the poems
Sound and Memory Exercise:
Used aural reflection techniques
Focused on sensory and tactile aspects of work
Participants created 'sound-maps' with words and drawings
Maps reflected sensory experiences of their workspaces
Group discussion of the maps
Data Collection Phase 2 - Semi-structured Interviews:
60-minute interviews covering six key areas:
Professional and creative background
ABPR project design and roles
ABPR methods
Communities and engagement
Training and support availability
Perceived impact and legacy of ABPR projects
Additional questions were developed based on participants' sound-maps and poems from the workshops.
Analysis:
Used Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Incorporated Narrative Enquiry Analysis
Synthesized perspectives from participants across all three partner contexts
Protected participant identities by using letter/number codes (e.g., P1, P3, P7)
Included verbatim quotations while maintaining anonymity
The methodology was designed to:
Enable qualitatively different kinds of commentary
Generate unexpected areas of discussion and reflection
Prompt meaningful conversation about sensory and affective aspects of ABPR
Activate participants' artistic skillsets
Draw on their expertise as creative professionals
Develop a holistic, embodied, and emplaced understanding of their practice
This methodological approach was particularly valuable given the compressed project timeline and recruitment challenges that prevented direct observations. The creative methods helped ground the research in sensory, tactile, and experiential dimensions of ABPR practice.
The researchers noted that this approach corroborated participants' own experiences using creative methods - demonstrating how artistic activities can open unique spaces for critical conversation and knowledge generation.
The research team consisted of:
Prof John McAuliffe (PI)
Dr Leandro Valiati (PI)
Dr Henry McPherson (PDRA)
Dr Tessa Harris (PDRA)
The project partnered with three organisations:
Made by Mortals (madebymortals.org)
Cartwheel Arts (cartwheelarts.org.uk)
Platt Hall (platthall.org)
Research Design:
The study employed a two-phase qualitative approach combining creative methods workshops with semi-structured interviews, focusing on professionals who had been involved in ABPR projects with the University since 2019.
Participant Recruitment:
12 professionals were recruited through three partner organizations
Participants included a mix of:
Freelance artists
Organizational employees (administrators, project managers)
Artist-facilitators
Artist-academics
Many participants held multiple roles within their organizations
Data Collection Phase 1 - Creative Methods Workshops:
Poetic Creative Writing Exercise:
Participants were guided through mindfulness exercises
Focus on embodied experience in ABPR workplaces
Generated poems based on their ABPR experience
Group discussion of the poems
Sound and Memory Exercise:
Used aural reflection techniques
Focused on sensory and tactile aspects of work
Participants created 'sound-maps' with words and drawings
Maps reflected sensory experiences of their workspaces
Group discussion of the maps
Data Collection Phase 2 - Semi-structured Interviews:
60-minute interviews covering six key areas:
Professional and creative background
ABPR project design and roles
ABPR methods
Communities and engagement
Training and support availability
Perceived impact and legacy of ABPR projects
Additional questions were developed based on participants' sound-maps and poems from the workshops.
Analysis:
Used Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Incorporated Narrative Enquiry Analysis
Synthesized perspectives from participants across all three partner contexts
Protected participant identities by using letter/number codes (e.g., P1, P3, P7)
Included verbatim quotations while maintaining anonymity
The methodology was designed to:
Enable qualitatively different kinds of commentary
Generate unexpected areas of discussion and reflection
Prompt meaningful conversation about sensory and affective aspects of ABPR
Activate participants' artistic skillsets
Draw on their expertise as creative professionals
Develop a holistic, embodied, and emplaced understanding of their practice
This methodological approach was particularly valuable given the compressed project timeline and recruitment challenges that prevented direct observations. The creative methods helped ground the research in sensory, tactile, and experiential dimensions of ABPR practice.
The researchers noted that this approach corroborated participants' own experiences using creative methods - demonstrating how artistic activities can open unique spaces for critical conversation and knowledge generation.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 1/12/23 → 1/07/24 |
UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Keywords
- Participatory Research
- Arts
- Impact Evaluation
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Creative Manchester
Fingerprint
Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.