An artistic challenge has been launched to help people in Leicestershire and Rutland combat their worries around the Coronavirus pandemic and take inspiration from the ‘brilliant’ things’ in life.
Open to anyone, the ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ project will see participants challenged to produce a themed piece of artwork every week. And once the pandemic has subsided, the resulting work will be brought together and shared via exhibitions, performances, publications and recordings.
The ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ project is inspired by the play of the same name and will be led by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) arts in mental health co-ordinator Tim Sayers (pictured) working with BrightSparks, an LPT-backed community of mental health service users, volunteers and others who use the arts to promote positive images of mental wellbeing.
With this year’s programme of arts activities suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tim came up with this alternative that specifically targets people who don’t access the internet, with their only contact by telephone or post.
He said: “These are difficult times for everyone and while it’s not possible to get together physically to take part in artistic activities, this is something we can all share and take inspiration from for the duration.
“It has becoming increasingly known of the importance that the arts play in supporting mental wellbeing and this project might well be a lifeline for many isolated mental health service users and other members of the public.
“I took the theme for the project from ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ following a suggestion from an up-and-coming Leicester playwright Emma Penny,”Pe
Emma explained: “I got the idea reading the play Every Brilliant Thing which focuses on positivity and highlights how, even in the worst situations, there’s beauty around us.
“Now is the right time, with so much uncertainty in the world, and so many people feeling isolated, to bring people together through art and expression. I hope that this project will give people something positive to focus on. I feel we all need something concrete to get us through this, and art is the way to go. I can’t wait to see what people create and together we will celebrate each other, life and positivity.”
Added Tim: “We are throwing the challenge open to anyone – because we’re all in this together.
“Each week we will all produce art inspired by the different themes associated with ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ and then, when all of this is over, we will display, publish, perform and record them for the world to enjoy.”
• To participate in Every Brilliant Thing and receive weekly invitations from Tim, email tim.sayers@leicspart.nhs.uk telephone on 07795 475 806 or visit Facebook and search for the Every Brilliant Thing page.