About the Project
Sharing the experience of overcoming a great challenge in life is a fundamental archetype in human story making. During lockdown, participants of Gwen’s digital arts & storytelling program told their stories of living with acquired brain injury through podcasting, animation, zines, dance & video. The group drew parallels between the physical restrictions they have experienced through acquired brain injury and those experienced by the general population during covid.
Participants had wisdom to offer and stories to share about their experiences of an acquired brain injury. They have connected and reconnected with their interests and passions to live fulfilling lives, talking about artistic discovery and practice as well as sports, music and photography. They hope to help, motivate and inspire other people through the difficulties and challenges of life.
They can teach us that though our bodies may be locked down physically, our minds can go wherever they want and that this place and another place can co- exist in lockdown. They advise that we should choose kind places to go in our minds, allowing ourselves to imagine and be creative in the dreaming, to see what lies beyond the walls that hem us in and see what is on our horizon.
“At Brain Injury Matters we use The Arts and Sports in rehabilitation and long-term support. It is about people exploring who they are, what their interests are, expressing it and engaging in wider society. During lockdown, Gwen responded by finding innovative and engaging ways to make our participants’ worlds became bigger with endless possibilities. She introduced them to a range of digital technologies including VR, AR, Animation and Podcasting which are now hosted online or will be screened / exhibited at exhibitions and arts festivals in the future.”
Dr. Jonathan McCrea, Head of Service Delivery at Brain Injury Matters Tweet