Luci Kershaw is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Galway. Her work explores health topics and themes, as well as more traditional practice within the area of arts and health. Luci was awarded the artsandhealth.ie Emerging Artist Bursary in 2024 and has spent her time exploring how to embrace more collaborative approaches to sharing people’s stories through sound and film.

Luci sought to refine her objectives and articulate core values for her practice. She researched arts and health projects; talked to other artists, arts professionals, healthcare practitioners, and service users; learned about film techniques that can be simply taught and explored with people; and reflected on her own practice (what she has achieved, what she wants to carry forward, who she wants to work with).

She considered how to find and approach participants, the ethical dimensions of her practice, what forms her work might take. She notes what Hartley and Payne have said about working successfully with ill people, that artists need “to understand their own relationship with the art forms they might use before engaging on a process of working with such people in healthcare settings.” She is reminded that when working with vulnerable people, the artist also needs to mind herself.

“This opportunity has enabled me to rekindle areas of interest that I have found myself shying away from due to fears of getting it wrong or imposter syndrome, lack of confidence or having been stung. It has opened doors to conversations that I have been inspired by and made me take a deep dive into my practice in a way I have only half-heartedly done before.”

Luci’s reflection has taken the form of living documentation via an interactive landing page on her website. Selecting any of the topics on this page will take you to a dedicate page of research, conversation or thoughts on that particular matter, with fresh insights added as Luci progresses her work and learning.

Her reflections to date have been collated as a longform essay on artsandhealth.ie:

Read Luci’s Reflection

Author:
Luci Kershaw

Publisher:
artsandhealth.ie

Year:
2025

Context:
Arts and health, Community Health, Palliative Care, Socially engaged practice

Artform:
Film, Visual Art

Category:
Articles

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