Using art to understand lived experiences of COPD for international COPD Big Baton Pass
To mark World COPD Day, the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) hosted a live creative art workshop at Glenfield Hospital, with community members joining both in person and online.
The session also formed part of the international COPD Big Baton Pass, which connects people around the world to raise awareness of COPD and the importance of staying active.
Chaired by Linzy Houchen, academic physiotherapist, the workshop invited participants to use drawing and painting to explore what physical activity and breathlessness mean to them. Linzy reflected on the session, saying:
“It was an honour to get involved with this art workshop to celebrate World COPD Day as part of the International Big Baton Pass. A huge thanks to all of the patients who attended in person or online and gave their valuable insights as to how physical activity makes them feel as someone with COPD.”
PhD student Holly Drover presented her creative PhD work and supported participants during the session. She shared how powerful these methods can be in helping people communicate their experiences:
“Workshops are a great way of expression and have a bigger impact than we expected. One participant’s family member told us they understood his struggle far more clearly after seeing his artwork.”
PhD student Phoebe Lloyd-Evans also spoke about her creative research work, offering another perspective on how artistic approaches can support people in expressing the realities of breathlessness.
One of the artworks shared during the workshop created by John Copeman, who joined online and is shown in the image collage. Other community members who attended in person also created artwork, which will be shared once collected.
The workshop offered a welcoming space for people with COPD to reflect on their experiences and contribute their insights to ongoing respiratory research at the BRC. Thank you to everyone who took part and supported the session.