Earlier this year, Dr Chloe Bradwell facilitated a roundtable with care staff from Sway Place and Entelechy artists. This animated film brings the insights from those discussions to life, exploring the realities of care work, the role of creativity, and what’s needed to make meaningful collaboration possible.

For artist residencies to truly become part of the fabric of care homes, we need:

• Time to listen, observe, and build trust

• Creative spaces that feel different from the clinical day-to-day

• Leadership willing to protect time for play and exploration

• Equal collaboration between residents, carers, and artists

The film represents a call to reimagine care homes as cultural hubs — where care and creativity are inseparable, where residents are co-creators, and where the everyday is transformed through connection, humour, and artistry.

Animations by Sophie Hardyman

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research

Co-produced and narrated by Sway Place staff and Entelechy Artists, including our Creative Director, Rebecca Swift