Stroke Odysseys
Stroke Odysseys, presented by Rosetta Life, is a four-year practice research project designed to test and implement a performance arts intervention for people accessing neurological rehabilitation services
Pictured: Seychelles - Stroke participants portray Anne's memories of the Seychelles surf. Coin Street 2016. Stroke Odysseys.
The project is being co-created by artists working with south London's stroke communities to develop voice and movement practices that reduce the anxiety and depression faced by those living with an altered image of themselves.
Working with professional singers, dancers, song-writers and composers, including composer Orlando Gough, choreographers Moreno Solinas, Igor Urzelai and Ben Duke, performers Melanie Pappenheim and Elizabeth Mansfield, participants are encouraged to share their stories, experiences and feelings through live presentations.
Stroke Odysseys is designed to challenge the institutionalisation people come up against while undergoing hospital rehabilitation, and offers new creative skills and opportunities that counter the frustration and lack of agency faced by those who are living with the effects of a stroke.
More information about Stroke Odysseys is available on their website.
Pictured: Visitors at the Bedside - Stroke participants re-enact the overwhelming buzz of visiting time in the Stroke Unit. Barbican Pit Theatre June 2016. Stroke odysseys
The need for this work has been identified by a wide network of clinicians, health care practitioners, patients and family members who guided the direction of the project through a series of practice research workshops. The workshops engage stroke ‘stakeholders’, including those living with stroke, their carers, stroke researchers, clinicians, those working in stroke care, musicians, dancers and lyricists.
The aim of the workshops is to explore what a range of innovative creative initiatives in movement and music can bring to the understanding of and rehabilitation from stroke with a view to embedding these new approaches to stroke recovery within NHS stroke care. The workshops culminated in a series of performances at theatres and venues around the UK.
Stroke Odysseys is presented by Rosetta Life with composer Orlando Gough. The project was initially funded by Derry City of Culture 2013, Arts Council Northern Ireland, and King’s College London. This led to grants from Guy's and St Thomas' Charity and City Bridge Trust. The project receives ongoing support from King's College London.