A photograph of Scott Thurston performing in Arts Council funded project Together Un/Tethered, linked to Arts for the Blues, has been published in The Lancet as part of a photo essay to raise awareness of creative approaches to health.
The photo essay was launched at a special event held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
Together Un/Tethered performance (2023), photographed by Brian Roberts in Liverpool, UK; courtesy of Professor Vicky Karkou, Edge Hill University, UK
Project description
An immersive performance at Liverpool Lighthouse, UK, inspired by the Arts for the Blues project—an arts-based group intervention for depression, low mood, and anxiety, developed by researchers and artists at two universities in the North West of England. Blending movement, spoken word, soundscape, and projection with live cello, it explores themes of separation, connection, and renewal.
Project context
A collaboration with Edge Hill University and the University of Salford, UK, with funding from Arts Council England, this co-produced piece was developed by artists and participants and delivered as a therapeutic group for mental health service users based in the community in the north of Liverpool. The resulting immersive performance entitled Together Un/Tethered toured the country. Its aim has been to demystify the therapeutic process in arts therapies practice and to invite wider audiences to have a proxy experience of the therapeutic journey for themselves. Arts for the Blues, developed by artists, therapists, and arts therapists from the two universities, addresses the diverse needs of children and adults, following Medical Research Council guidelines, aspiring to develop sufficient critical mass to enable systemic changes in services and provide universally good-quality practices. It is currently used with children, adults, and staff in hospitals, schools, and charities in the UK, Europe, and further afield, including India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Curator’s comment
Offering accessible, emotionally resonant creative processes is crucial because they meet people where they are, especially those who may struggle with or feel alienated by traditional talking therapies. This immersive performance engages the senses, evokes memory, and activates imagination, making it possible to express complex emotions and experiences that can be difficult to articulate with words alone. This approach also fosters inclusion, dignity, and connection by validating diverse ways of knowing, healing, and being, particularly for individuals from marginalised or underserved communities.
Copyright © 2025 ©Professor Vicky Karkou/Edge Hill University