105133/Z/14/Z: SICK! Festival 2015 (Brighton & Manchester).

Project Summary:SICK! Festival confronts the physical, mental and social challenges of life and death combining an outstanding international cross-art form programme with commissioned texts, debates and talks presenting perspectives from academic and clinical research, frontline care, public health and the charity sector. With audiences of 72,000+ and 97% ticket sales, SICK! 2014 demonstrated a significant hunger for this event. SICK! 2015 builds on this enthusiasm expanding to present the festival in Brighton and Manchester at venues and public spaces across the two cities. This ambitious model will increase audiences and raise national profile, building on existing relationships and creating new partnerships, generating new links between healthcare, academic research and the arts. SICK!2015 explores how social and personal experiences lead to clinical, medical and psychological impact on individuals and society more broadly. It will address the nature of relationships between individuals (healthy and unhealthy) and the extent to which boundaries are/or should be drawn around the professional and the personal. It considers the responsibilities implicit in emotional, physical, sexual and professional relationships and reflects on what happens when boundaries are crossed. Medical knowledge, research and experience are at the heart of SICK! which stimulates multifaceted engagement with issues of profound personal and societal significance, with the artistic programme providing a compelli ng entry-point. Drawing on the expertise and networks of BSMS and Nowgen, a process of research and development will bring together advisory groups on each sub-theme from academia, healthcare and charities to inform, frame and identify contributors to the programme.

Grant Holder:Ms Helen Medland

Organisation:The Basement

Financial Year:2013/2014