A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details 1 Spaces after modernity: a systems based analysis of creativity, community and narrative formation Bella Wheeler University of Sussex A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work and Social Care April 2017 2 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree. Signature.................................................................................... Date………………………………………………………………….. 3 This thesis is dedicated with love to my daughter Cara and to the memory of my brother Ollie 4 Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter One: Introduction and context...................................................................................... 10 1.1 Rationale ........................................................................................................................... 10 1.2 The Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project (BUCFP) ........................................... 12 1.3 Arts for health ................................................................................................................... 15 1.4 Community care ................................................................................................................ 16 1.5 Research questions ........................................................................................................... 19 1.6 Structure of the thesis ...................................................................................................... 23 Chapter Two: Literature review .................................................................................................. 24 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 24 2.2 State, society and community: a changing relationship at the beginning of the twentieth century .................................................................................................................................... 24 2.3 Art and institutions in modernity ...................................................................................... 28 2.4 The self, group and community: interpretation and representation ............................... 31 2.5 Arts for health? ................................................................................................................. 36 2.6 Conclusion: context, community art and civil society ...................................................... 42 Chapter Three: Methodology ..................................................................................................... 44 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 44 3.2 Methods ............................................................................................................................ 44 3.2.1 Arts-based and participatory methods: underlying framework ................................ 44 3.2.2 Art in the research context: what does doing art do? ............................................... 47 3.2.3 Art in the group context: participatory methods ....................................................... 48 3.2.4 Bringing arts-based practice and participatory methods together ........................... 49 3.3 Researcher positionality ................................................................................................... 50 3.4 Ethics ................................................................................................................................. 52 3.5 Data collection .................................................................................................................. 54 3.5.1 Phase 1 November 2013: Establishing a research topic and inclusion of questions relating to this in the BUCFP Annual Survey 2013 .............................................................. 55 3.5.2 Phase 2 January 2014 - May 2014: BUCFP data collection/analysis of existing data and survey results ............................................................................................................... 56 3.5.3 Phase 3 June 2014 - July 2014: Fieldwork recruitment ............................................. 59 3.5.4 Phase 4 July 2014 - May 2015 Fieldwork: weekly two-hour group art-making sessions and monthly two-hour group interviews ............................................................................ 61 3.6 Data analysis ..................................................................................................................... 63 5 3.6.1 Narrative analysis ....................................................................................................... 64 3.6.2 Visual analysis ............................................................................................................ 67 3.7 Structure of the data analysis chapters ............................................................................ 69 Chapter Four: Data analysis June 2014 - September 2014 ......................................................... 72 4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 72 4.2 June 2014 .......................................................................................................................... 72 4.2.1 Recruitment and structure ......................................................................................... 72 4.2.2 The function of art and use of time ........................................................................... 74 4.3 July 2014 ........................................................................................................................... 76 4.3.1 Populating the structure ............................................................................................ 76 4.3.2 Destabilisation............................................................................................................ 83 4.4 August 2014 ...................................................................................................................... 87 4.4.1 The position of selves in the group ............................................................................ 87 4.4.2 Contestation ............................................................................................................... 92 4.5 September 2014 ................................................................................................................ 94 4.5.1 Art, materiality, commitment .................................................................................... 94 4.5.2 Poverty, adaptation and the 'fake life' ....................................................................... 98 4.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 101 Chapter Five: Data analysis October 2014 - January 2015 ....................................................... 103 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 103 5.2 October 2014 .................................................................................................................. 103 5.2.1 Spontaneity versus planning .................................................................................... 103 5.2.2 Maintaining engagement ......................................................................................... 106 5.3 November 2014 .............................................................................................................. 107 5.3.1 Ownership and group boundaries ........................................................................... 107 5.3.2 Material and reflexivity ............................................................................................ 115 5.4 December 2014 ............................................................................................................... 117 5.4.1 Porosity and liminality ............................................................................................. 117 5.4.2 Access to forms of organisational life ...................................................................... 119 5.4.3 Art-making and access ............................................................................................. 120 5.5 January 2015 ................................................................................................................... 122 5.5.1 Food and spirituality ................................................................................................ 122 5.5.2 Responsibility