TV & FILM
•
COMEDY
•
FASHION
•
LITERATURE
•
PHOTOGRAPHY
•
MUSIC
•
THEATRE
•
DANCE
•
ART & DESIGN
•
ARCHITECTURE
TV & FILM • COMEDY • FASHION • LITERATURE • PHOTOGRAPHY • MUSIC • THEATRE • DANCE • ART & DESIGN • ARCHITECTURE
Who Are We, really?
I was looking at the state of the country and thinking: is this who we are now? I wanted to know what I could actually do about it. That question moved me into social impact in 2023; after a decade in fashion and music, I’ve spent time working on both sides of the gap this film explores. Through that work I’ve met people who’d been doing this for years already: campaigning to change policy, advocating for lesser-heard communities, improving public health, and putting in the patient hours of research that turn a good idea into solid evidence. It was then I realised these people, and what they represent, are who we really are, not the fractured, divided Britain we so often see portrayed.
England is a nation of creatives and the UK is one of the world's leading exporters of arts. The arts have long provided a shared language: a way to reflect our struggles, express who we are, and imagine who we might become.
Some of the most consequential creative work made here happens in hospitals, care homes, classrooms and community halls rather than on stages. This is creative health, a field most of us outside social impact and public health don't know exists even though people who go to galleries, theatre or concerts every few months have a 31% lower risk of dying early (UCL, BMJ 2019).
The Art of Connection is a documentary film and public digital archive about the people building that field, and an invitation to reconnect with our creative legacy, with one another, and with the role the arts continue to play in shaping who we are.
The evidence, the delivery and the policy expertise all exist, and so does the appetite from creatives to bring their practice into health and care settings. But that evidence circulates inside the public health sector and stops there. It doesn't always reach the communities it's about or reach the creatives whose skills it needs, in a form that works for them.
The Art of Connection
Get involved
We'd love to hear from:
People who work in the creative industries and want to use their skills to improve their communities
Funders and partners who want to back the project
If that's you, come and talk to us.