Making the invisible, visible: capturing participatory arts research in a dementia care home on film

In November 2023, researchers from University of the West of Scotland (UWS) collaborated with dementia care home performance specialists, At Home At The Theatre, to devise and deliver a series of participatory performance workshops. Working with residents of a care home in Kilmarnock, 'Finding Our Voice' was a project aiming to foreground the agency of participants, giving them ownership of the participatory performance activities. Framed as a series of ‘workshops’ rather than performances, the Kilmarnock care home residents co-created the material and, in foregrounding agency and choice, were central to workshop delivery. The results demonstrated how a sense of community within the care home was enhanced, alongside improved well-being for residents, staff, and family members.

To document the process, the researchers worked with filmmakers and academics in TV, Radio and Podcast Production at UWS to make a documentary, which attests to the positive potential for theatre and performance in enhancing the everyday experience of people living with dementia. In this paper, we reflect on the ways in which film has proved a powerful medium in sharing the research beyond the academy, making those who are often ‘invisible’ in society more visible.