“Doing Together 26” symposium
Flourishing Spaces were invited by co-organiser Dr Natasha Kidd to attend a two-day (Monday, 30th March - Tuesday, 31st March 2026) creative research symposium at Bath Spa University, where healthcare and the arts run in parallel.
One of the sessions that took place during the symposium was on brush-making (led by Ian Parkes), a practice that feels elemental, like shaping clay or baking bread. We also reflected on the natural materials used.
Reflections from attendees highlighted the symposium’s distinctive atmosphere, emphasising themes such as ‘practice-based research as a way of being with materials, with each other, and with time’ and the importance of being able to pause as well as being in a space of activity with others.
The themes which emerged from the symposium connect to wider conversations in healthcare education, suggesting that the symposium’s emphasis on slower, relational, and collaborative practices could inform more humane and reflective approaches to learning.
Click here to read more about the symposium.
