The Arts Are Vital to Emergency Planning: Performance Strategies for Managing Pandemics

About the project Working with strategic decision-makers in Bristol, Glasgow and Newcastle City Councils, the research team investigated everyday innovations (social performances) and artistic interventions (aesthetic performances), to understand how performance can reimagine and facilitate city life in times of social distancing, and how performance theory and analysis might contribute to more nuanced, creative and […]

Public health messaging during the COVID pandemic: Dating app usage and sexual wellbeing among men who have sex with men

About the project This research studied the experiences of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The study’s focus was on uses of dating and hook up apps, sexual activity and how and how this changed during the pandemic as restrictions such as social distancing and lockdowns […]

Bereavement Rituals During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Mental Health Support, Funerary Practices and Public Health Messaging

About the project This project explored the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic dislocated significant rituals and practices around death and dying. Through qualitative research with bereaved families and with funeral directors, the research team sought to investigate the impact on mental health, on adherence to public health guidelines, and on the planning and delivery […]

Optimising cultural provision to improve older people’s wellbeing through social prescribing in the context of COVID-19: Realist review and evaluation

About the project This project explored how the cultural sector adapted to support older people’s wellbeing during responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a realist approach, the research team examined what works, for whom, why and in what circumstances in order to be able to provide recommendations to the cultural sector about being ‘referral ready’ […]

Distanced Arts: Investigating the design, delivery, and impacts of Entelechy Arts’ Staying Connected Programme

About the project Led by a research team at Queen Mary University London and Entelechy Arts, this research explored how a programme of remotely provided arts and creative activities provided through Entelechy Arts’ Staying Connected programme might mitigate the negative health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic for older people. Programmes were co-created with participants. […]

UK literary heritage sites and COVID-19: Measuring impact, enhancing resilience, and learning lessons

About the project This study sought to identify and quantify the challenges posed to UK literary heritage sites by Covid-19, to evaluate and compare responses between sites, and to help the sector develop its future resilience. Principal Investigator Dr David Rudrum(University of Huddersfield) UKRI website Explore related projects Bridging Distance in the Creative Industries Cultural […]

Libraries in lockdown: Scottish public libraries and their role in community cohesion and resilience

About the project This research examined Scottish Public Libraries and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, it explored the ways in which they have, through their digital offerings, helped to support community resilience and cohesion. It also examined the challenges that faced libraries during lockdown. Methods used included social media analysis, alongside interviews […]

Visitor Interaction and Machine Curation in the Virtual Liverpool Biennial: A Towards a National Collection Covid-19 Project

About the project This project started from the observation that most machine learning and artifical intelligence systems are deployed in a GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) context as etiher search engines or as ways to automate cataloguing. The research team proposed to use machine learning in a more interactive setting. The project led to […]

Downloading a New Normal

About the project The project examined the ‘digital turn’ brought about by COVID, which compelled a move from analogue to digital in public libraries in the UK. It considered multiple impacts of this work, including organisational and sectoral issues, ethical issues, and user information and behaviour issues. The project drew together academic experts in information […]

A National Day of Reflection: Lessons from past memorialisation initiatives and attitudes in the present

About the project The question of when and how to memorialise the pandemic and those who have died from COVID-19 or during periods of social restriction has inspired ongoing and sometimes difficult discussion. This project focused on the evolution of those arguments and debates as they unfolded in 2020/2021. It incorporated historical expertise on civic […]