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How to improvise with (health)care?

MAR at the Future Health Expo

The question posed in the header of this article was the theme of the task session by Meaningful Artistic Research and Stichting ENCOUNTER during the Future Health Expo on 1 October 2024. In this session, the participants literally mapped the ways in which they deal with complex situations in their healthcare work.

The maps they made, step by step and using various materials, turned into an impression of how a person acts when they need to improvise. Who thinks before they act, and who acts right away? And how much time lies between thought, reaction, and action?

How we experience improvisation

So is improvising indeed all that enjoyable ? Our experience of improvisation is related to other factors, for example, the – literal and figurative – room that you have for your conduct, your current personal mood, what is at stake, and in whose company you are. For some, this is an easier and more accessible process than for others. The task session was focused on bringing these situational factors to light. The map helped to visualise the ways in which we can ensure that improvisation within a healthcare context is, and remains, a careful process.

Diving deeper

The chosen artistic and creative approach was a means to slow down and ponder on the physical, sensory, and relational experiences. It allowed participants to dive deeper in a particular situation. The creation of the map was also a means to empathise with the situation of another, or to look at yourself in a new light.

Future Health Expo is an initiative of Health Hub Utrecht, in which HKU is participating, and was held from 29 September to 2 October 2024 in the Botanic Garden at Utrecht Science Park. 1 Oktober was the HKU Art and Research day, featuring presentations, performances, exhibitions and workshops.

Photos: Thomas de Wit