Getting arty in Wythenshawe
In March 2018, we took to the streets of Wythenshawe with artists Laurence Payot and Scott Farlow, to talk to people about their experiences of breathing, breathlessness and living with breathing conditions.
We also ran creative workshops at Wythenshawe Library to get children and adults thinking about breathing and the air we all share.
We interviewed people who have conditions like asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) to find out more about how it feels to live with these conditions and people’s hopes for how research might help improve diagnosis and treatment for people in the future.
People's stories and ideas were then woven together into a poem, which was recorded by local people who participated in the project to form the soundtrack for three interactive, inflatable and wearable scupltures.
The shape and colour of the three sculptures, which represent breathing well, breathlessness and hopes for the future, were inspired by people's drawings and descriptions of the lungs, breathing and breathlessness, as well as the marbling patterns created by people at the creative workshop.
The wearable artwork was shown at both The University of Manchester Community Engagement Day and Breathtaking Lungs Clean Air Day Event at Wythenshawe Forum, reaching hundreds of people over the course of the two days.
We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who wanted to help us spread the word about breathing conditions and related research by getting involved and to the artists involved.
