Participatory art in residential aged care: A visual and interpretative phenomenological analysis of older residents’ engagement with tapestry weaving

As a creative occupation, craft making is increasingly recognised for its therapeutic health benefits and positive impact on quality of life. Unfortunately, many older people in aged care have limited opportunities to engage in meaningful creative occupations, with research reporting residents are bored by the limited and stereotypical leisure pursuits. Using participatory design approaches (co-design and co-creation), this longitudinal participatory art research explored residents’ experience of actively participating in craft production. In this study, a professional tapestry artist moved her practice into an Australian aged care home for 6 months to invite residents to collaborate in designing and weaving a large tapestry based on the ‘meaning of home’. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis in combination with researcher reflections and a visual essay, we describe how three residents experienced the project in different ways: gradually, partially and fully engaged, experiencing ‘flow’ through weaving. Two superordinate themes emerged (creative anticipation and the connecting loom), with researcher-produced photographs visually conveying, comparing and contrasting how these three residents experienced the participatory art project. These findings highlight the link between a creative occupation, such as tapestry weaving, and cognitive, physical, creative and emotional well-being in old age for these aged care residents.