The recent Infant Imaginings Forum in partnership with Helium, Adelaide & Meath Hospital, incorporating the National Children’s Hospital and Tallaght Community Arts on October 29, 2008 was well attended by a diverse group of professionals from healthcare, children’s theatre, arts management, and childcare. The Forum was chaired by Tony Fegan, Director Tallaght Community Arts.
Following is a summary of the event:
Presentations
Artist mentor to the project, Tim Webb of theatre company Oily Cart (UK) spoke about the type of theatre required to engage the under 2’s; ‘a form of theatre which acknowledges that babies are compelled to communicate and influence their world. He illustrated his presentation with video of work that Oily Cart has undertaken with very young children.
Helium’s Director Helene Hugel’s presentation focussed on the making of the performance work through engagement with the audience - parents and babies, and the important involvement of parents. It included input from Helene’s artist collaborator Jonathan Wilson, Florence Burns, Family Development Health Nurse from the Community Mother’s Programme, Sheila Geoghegan, Director of Public Health Nursing Dublin South West, Ciara Sheridan, Senior Physiotherapist in the National Children’s Hospital, and Maria Vesselko, mother and project photographer.
Discussion
In the discussion following the presentations and testimonials it was acknowledged by all that the arts do have a value in the lives of very young children. The performing arts in particular can:
-Relax, make happy, and engage children
-Enhance the parent and child bond
-Provides an opportunity for parents to play and learn new play skills
-Provides an opportunity for parents to communicate with their child in a new way
-Create time and space for a parent to enjoy a shared experience with their child
-Enables health care staff to complete their work more effectively (in health centre context)
-De-stress healthcare staff (in health centre context)
A suggested model of best practice to making this kind of performance work was discussed. It was agreed that the process involve consultation with children and parents while the work is being created, through participatory workshops which record and monitor children’s engagement, issues, interest, and language. This input is then fed back into the making of the work, and plays a significant part in the shaping the final piece. “The learning the artist receives is first and formost from the children and parents” (Tim Webb).
It was suggested by forum participants that what is beginning to happen now among children’s theatre practioners is the making of a different kind of art process, a process that goes back to the idea of creative play and the creation of social space for creative play.
The future
Questions associated with developing this creative process were also highlighted: How do we as artists frame and make space for this type of work which crosses the boundaries of play, health, and art? How do we involve the health sector, parents and carers in developing the work in the long-term? Should we be approaching the making of this work from a multi-agency point of view? What are the next steps in disseminating learning arising from the Infant Imaginings project?
Forum Chair Tony Fegan said that Tallaght Comunity Arts were interested in exploring with the HSE and other childcare agencies how this pioneering project can be developed so that artists Helene and Jonathan can now develop a fully developed piece to ‘play ‘ to children, parents and carers attending Millbrook Lawns Health Centre, Tallaght, and then tour into other local and regional health centres.
Tony suggested that the Infant Imaginings piece could be complemented with a series of sessions for parents and carers to develop their expertise and confidence in creative play thus extending the impact of the work.
The forum ended with participants keen to be informed on the next steps of the project.
Dr Suzanne Zeedyk was unable to be present at the forum.
More information
www.oilycart.org.uk/
www.dundee.ac.uk/psychology/mszeedyk/welcome.html
www.practice.ie/project/infant-imaginings
www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2008/1104/1225523340742.htm