As part of the Practices for Change: Artistic Research in Action series, the University of Westminster’s Arts, Communication and Culture (ACC) Research Community recently hosted the Creative Health Study Day, bringing together clinicians, artists, curators and researchers to explore how creative approaches can support health and wellbeing.
Held on 8 July at the University’s Harrow Campus, the day considered how artistic research and creative practice can shape experiences and contribute to spaces of care, grief and encounter within healthcare environments.
The event began with a walking tour of Northwick Park Hospital’s public spaces and gardens led by artist Youngsook Choi. Using sensory observation, deep listening and reflective mapping, participants were encouraged to look closely to the hospital environment and consider the relationships, experiences and questions that emerge within these spaces. This was followed by a collaborative workshop where attendees created responses through drawing, writing and other forms of collective creative practice.
Participants later took part in an extended conversation facilitated by curator Annie Kwan, exploring how creative health approaches can inform future projects and partnerships. The discussion highlighted the growing collaboration between London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and Westminster School of Arts, which began during the Brent Biennial 2025. Speakers explored how artistic methods can contribute to the design and development of healthcare spaces and how collaborations between artists, researchers and healthcare professionals can help shape future approaches to care.
The ACC Research Community takes an interdisciplinary approach to the arts, exploring how creative practice can respond to contemporary challenges and help individuals and communities imagine new possibilities for social and cultural change. The day also connected with Westminster’s Creative Health Working Group, jointly convened through the ACC Research Community and the Health Innovation and Wellbeing research community.
Practices for Change: Artistic Research in Action is a platform dedicated to exploring how artistic research works in practice and how it supports collaboration across healthcare, education, community and civic settings.
About the event, Lucy Reynolds, Reader at the University’s Centre for Research in Education, Art and Media (CREAM), said: “The well attended Creative Health Study Day was a perfect opportunity to bring together colleagues and researchers across the Schools of Arts and Life Sciences, with practitioners in creative healthcare and clinicians from the London North West University Hospital Trust. Conceived and organised by the ACC Research Community, in collaboration with curator Annie Kwan, the highlight was participating in the artist Youngsook Choi’s insightful and resonant walking tour through the gardens of Northwick Park Hospital Trust, neighbouring the Harrow Campus.
“The day unlocked future potential for sharing knowledge and collaboration across the University and more widely, in this important and significant area where the arts and healthcare meet.”
Dr Julie Marsh, Research Lead for the ACC Research Community, added: “The day reinforced that creative health is not just about bringing art into healthcare settings, but about creating the conditions for different kinds of knowledge, relationships and ways of working to emerge. I found myself thinking afterwards about how much value there is in simply making space to listen before trying to solve problems.”
Annie Kwan added: "There have been ongoing important conversations around health since the ancient philosophers, and it continues as a complex, fraught intersection of politics, education and practice. It's been wonderful that the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and Westminster School of Arts have partnered to open up new opportunities to discuss what creative approaches could bring to ideas of health and wellness. It's been a pleasure to welcome artist researcher, Dr Youngsook Choi, to share eco-feminist and psycho-geographical mapping methods to help us explore and navigate the spaces of rest, flow and connection between and within the two institutions. I hope this session instigates more events down the line that can bring exciting new collaborators between the different disciplines and sectors."
The Study Day directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about other communities at the University of Westminster.
Related articles
