The Guiding Structure and Process of the Project

Figure 1 provides a summary of the shared understandings underpinning the animation project. These were the following:

1. a “hive mind” in which everyone works together, shares ideas, and counts equally;

2. a “golden moment”—that in the final film everyone involved would identify images, words, or sounds that they had contributed;

3. a progression from day-to-night and night-to-day in the animation, as a symbol of surviving the pandemic lockdowns;

4. the idea of “being together” in the project and working side-by-side, even though the lockdowns meant that participants were isolated in their own homes.

Figure 1 - Guiding structure of the animation project.

Figure 1 was repeatedly shared with all participants during the Zoom sessions to clarify and reinforce the key elements of the co-production process that would lead to the animated film.

Evaluation of the Animation Project

The animation project was developed and conducted by the project lead (Vivien Ellis) under the auspices of MFC, and all aspects of the project were conducted according to the ethical framework of MFC. The project was not funded by the Wellcome Trust as a research project, and the evaluation was not part of the original project plan but was developed collaboratively in the later stages of the project. As a result, the evaluation process was not subject to external review by an institutional ethics committee. Informed consent was gained from all participants providing feedback, with the understanding that all materials arising from the project would be subject to their explicit approval before being made public on the MFC website or used in future publications. The evaluation objectives were to gather feedback on participants”

1. Engagement with Dragon Café before lockdown (the mental health challenges they encountered, and the benefits experienced from in-person activities offered by Dragon Café)

2. Experiences of collaborating online and the value of being involved with the process

3. Opinions of the animated film once it was completed and perspectives on the value of engagement with the project

Participants’ Experiences of Mental Health Challenges

Over three-quarters of patrons described mental health issues (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, self-harming behavior, hoarding, bereavement), and just under a third referred to physical health problems (e.g., heart problems, cancer, Parkinson disease, diabetes, breathing difficulties) and life challenges (e.g., unable to work, lack of income, domestic abuse, loneliness, being housebound).

References to mental health issues were sometimes qualified as severe or enduring, and some participants described multiple challenges. The following anonymous quotations provide an illustration of the range of health and social issues experienced:

Bereavement from my dad and nan, and my cat had died, so was down, depressed, sad and emotionally delicate at times. Anxiety, overwhelmed to do with certain things. Relapses from bipolar at some points now and then. Took a long time to recover from. Migraines a lot, and tiredness from medication.

A lifetime of anxiety and depression, ever since a little lad, when I was punched, tormented, and mocked by my elder brother in front of the gang. A terrifying feeling of powerlessness, humiliation, and self-disgust.

I was and still am experiencing chronic illness, disability, and complex serious mental health challenges. I have not been able to work or study for a decade and [have been] housebound with little to do except try and manage my health issues.

Activities During the Online Animation Project

Participants were asked about their level of attendance in animation project Zoom sessions and the character of their creative activities and creative that they contributed to the film. A quarter of participants attended every session or “very regularly,” a fifth “fairly regularly,” and just over half “occasionally.” The creative work produced by participations spanned a wide range of art forms (especially visual art, writing, and sound recordings, but also photography), with over half of the participants recording a song for the soundtrack of the animation.

Participants Appreciated the Project

Given the history of participants’ involvement in the Dragon Café prior to lockdown, the continued support provided during lockdown, and participants’ active commitment to the animation project, it is no surprise to find that everyone responding to the survey expressed their appreciation. The following quotations are typical:

I feel and have found it a fascinating and incredible project to be a part of. That has developed from small things from each of us that have made a beautiful final result in the making, and love that each of us has had a small part to play, knitted together to create this amazing animation film just marvellous honestly.

It’s been so great to take part in a project that takes account of participants’ mental health, where you’re not under pressure, it is ok to do as much or as little as you want, you’re not made to feel bad if you have to leave early or your attendance is all over the place, or you just want to sit with the group and not have to participate, like if you’re finding it hard to talk….

Project Supported Social Connection

Two of the serious challenges of lockdowns were the restriction of leaving home and being unable to meet with family and friends. The continuation of Dragon Café online was therefore a considerable support for participants in maintaining social connections:

Because of lockdown and not being able to get out and see people and family, it was great to have these times of being together online really regularly being with friends I have got to know through the course of this project and Vivien Ellis’s singing group just to keep me from going stir crazy.

A sense of belonging. Having friends, not being lonely. It’s so lonely being on your own. Even on Zoom, you could see someone’s face—you’re in your little cell at home, just seeing someone. It has been even harder, (in Covid time) with mental illness. This has helped me feel less alone.

Participants Valued a Structured Approach

Considerable care was taken by the project lead Vivien Ellis and other members of the artist team to provide a clear and regular framework for online meetings and activities during the week for participants to pursue in order to create material (paintings, photographs, writing, sound recordings, etc.) for the animated film. This philosophy also continued after the lockdown period when it was possible for members of the project to meet in person to record music and then to view a draft of the film. Participation was always voluntary, and there was no obligation to take part in any activities arranged. Many participants commented on the value of this structured but flexible approach:

Vivien Ellis has guided us through, step by step, which has really helped. And recording in the church was just a beautiful and very special experience, and something I will never forget.

The opportunity to take part in the recording gave me a reason and encouragement to make a sizeable journey using public transport for the first time in several years. It was very daunting, and I was not pushed or cajoled into coming. There was always a dialogue.

Project Enhanced Participants’ Creativity

At the heart of the animation project was collaborative co-creation through every member of the project producing material for the animation. The stimulus to creative engagement and production was commented on by most participants:

Since lockdown, online services meant I had regular, easy access to such activities and being a part of a longer project with a collaborative outcome has helped me have something to look forward to, be interested in, motivate myself to take part in, explore and expand my creativity, share with others and see how interesting and creative others can be in sharing their stories.

The release of my creative energy in the boundless, spiritual world of the Imagination, which became both a life enhancer and a life saver to me in the enforced Covid confinement of my small flat….

Project Enhanced Participants’ Well-being

The Dragon Café aims to provide creative opportunities for patrons to support their mental health and well-being, and this principle was at the heart of the animation project. All participants commented on the value of their engagement for their well-being:

Being part of this project, and others like it, has been a really crucial part of my mental health recovery journey. Encouraged me to open up, feel part of something bigger than myself and feel part of a community.

Depression stops you from being aware. What I’ve gained is self-esteem, confidence, feeling like part of a group—that’s a big thing for me, feeling part of.

I’ve really found it so therapeutic, the bringing together. For me, this is sanity—keeps my head above water, it’s that flicker of light to hold onto.

Participants’ Reactions to the Film and their Golden Moments

The final film³ is approximately eight minutes long and consists of animated sequences created by M.E. based on images and recordings created by participants in the project. These included paintings, drawings, photographs, and passages of creative writing. The film reflects the themes illustrated in Figure 1, and the images are accompanied by a soundtrack of a song titled “Morning, Noon and Night,” with lyrics and music composed and performed by participants (Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Photograph of participants recording a song for the animation soundtrack, St George the Martyr Church, Southwark. London.

All interviewees were positive about the film, with some describing intense emotions at seeing the film for the first time at the Streatham screening. Throughout the following illustrative quotations from the written accounts of the interviews, there are references to the same themes as identified above from the online survey: appreciation, social connection, structure, creativity, and well-being. The quotations also illustrate the fact that all participants could see their own “golden moments” in the film where creative ideas they offered were animated. All names below are pseudonyms.

Amara was very enthusiastic about seeing the film:

Amazing! I never thought in this world…when I left the theatre, I was pinching myself and crying…before she had been so unsettled and anxious about seeing it, thinking to herself…did I do anything good for it…But when Amara saw the opening, she was “lost for words, and then when I saw my portraits…I just loved it! (Figure 3).

Figure 3 - A publicity poster for the animation, including multiple portraits created by a participant during the project that were incorporated into the film.

Halena also exclaimed enthusiastically in the interview that she “loved it!” and referred to both her own “golden moment” contributions and those of others in the group, referring specifically to Amara’s portraits:

Halena felt the film was beautifully done, moving and gentle but also invigorating. She could see two examples of contributions she has made—“Oh that’s mine!”

Brianna found the film engaging from the very start and was able to see her “golden moment” very clearly—images which were “a validation” of her political commitments:

Brianna “really enjoyed it—it was excellent—from the opening scene I was gripped…so much was happening…the thing that really lingers is the bird flying across the sky.” Her own “golden moment” was very clear as the images of the books she was reading are part of the sequence.

Ariel said he found the film “very relaxing and soothing to watch…,” and he was “intrigued to see what M.E. did in the end,” having seen short examples of animated sequences during the process of the project. With respect to his “golden moments”:

Ariel could see the visuals he contributed very clearly, both at the beginning and at the end of the film. He recorded himself saying the key words—morning, noon, and night—and had then copied the visual trace of the sound frequencies…these images appear in the film….

Coryn was an active participant in the online sessions and contributed photographs of coffee mug stains and a doormat in her block of flats that would be moved each day as people used it, and she would put it back in place. Coryn felt that the project was “great because it was so flexible.” Her “golden moment” was very apparent, with the animation of the door mat moving back and forth and also some images of her feet on the mat. She thought the film as a whole was “brilliant” and “more and more” can be seen “each time you view it.”

Katriel was also very moved when he first watched the animation. His “golden moment” was clearly recognizable, but for him, the film was more important as a celebration of working in collaboration with everyone involved:

Viewing the film for the first time was “overwhelming, such a pleasure, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, a record of our journey together.” Katriel said he was not a graduate, but he said that seeing the film with others involved in the project was “like a graduation ceremony”. He could see the visual material he had contributed, but to him, that was less important than the sense of collaborating with everyone else.

Kenzie actively contributed to the film through being part of the recording for the soundtrack, and through providing drawings of stars that appear at the end of animation. On first viewing the film, Kenzie “didn’t take to it straightaway,” but the “more I watched it the more I enjoyed it.” She said she “didn’t quite understand” what was happening at first, but on repeated watching, it became clearer.

Kiyan expressed appreciation for how M.E. brought everyone’s work together while honouring their unique contributions:

Kiyan “loved” the film as a whole—it filled him with “amazement, pure pleasure and joy.” [the artists] handled the great quantity of material “so sensitively” and he “recognised the uniqueness of each contribution…the personality and the feel of the person were there…and gave an overall feeling of the richness of the group…we all have this wonderful uniqueness inside….”

For Vanika, the film embodied a sense of connection with others: Vanika said the film was “very nice, unique,” and she “thoroughly enjoyed it…a very nice experience.” For Vanika, the film gave her a sense of “connection with friends and memories.”

For Alden too, the connections with others through the project helped to keep him going through lockdown: Alden appreciated being “part of something bigger than my artistic ego…it was a good collective and individual experience, with regular sessions to help keep me going through the lockdown.”

Comments from two more participants highlight the success of the film to represent and celebrate the diversity of identity and religious belief within the group.

I asked Ren whether she had seen her “golden moment” and she said she didn’t tend to think in those terms about it—but reflecting, she said that she had seen the “colour fields” she had contributed, and she felt that her ideas were taken into account. Ren had produced an ensō symbol for the film, and this was used. She felt it was nice that her “Buddhist tradition” was reflected in the film.”

Leesha thought the film was “cool, interesting, really liked the soundtrack…could hear myself singing.” I asked about the idea of a “golden moment” and in addition to the solo singing, one image was used.—the outline figure appearing at approximately one minute with the words “I have no gender” with the colours of the nonbinary flag.

Further Reflections on What Participants Gained from Participation in the Project

All interviewees gained considerably from participation in the project, with some giving moving and highly personal testimonies of what involvement meant to them. Bina’s account provided especially strong evidence of the power of the project in supporting her mental health and sense of social connection with others:

Bina said: “Oh my God, it has just been really great to have that project in my life…I struggle mentally and don’t have much in my life and find it hard to interact with others, so it has been so important to have a project shared with others in a group.”

Kiyan provided a vivid account of how the project supported his mental health and helped to deconstruct his sense of having a “false self.” He also acknowledges the importance of “trust between the members” and the crucial role of the lead artists:

Kiyan said: “I have found myself…I have come alive really…my real self…I had a false self, put around me by my family.” The success of the animation project was possible Kiyan felt because of the background provided by Mental Fight Club, and the people involved.”

Recurrent themes were the sense of pride, achievement, appreciation of the contributions made by all participants collaboratively, and the key creative role of the animator to bring the images to life:

Vanika said she was “very proud of being part of” the animation project—it was “very different and unique,” and she appreciated how the pictures produced by members of the project, that their creativity did not “stay on the paper” but became “lively” through the animation.

Amara spoke about how the Dragon Café and the animation project provided her with an impetus “to do something for me and to get better”:

Amara said that through Dragon Café she has been “determined to do something for myself and to get better…to meet other people and do something to help myself…my illnesses won’t go away, but through creative activities with others, I have been able to help myself.”

The last word should be given to Katriel, with his final comment echoing the thoughts of Antony Gormley that first inspired the project:

Katriel said that he felt he was “a wiser person, a more patient person” and that he “valued works of art more so.” He will always “treasure the time we shared, the bonds we created, and what the future might hold” for the animation film. The project provided “a rich tapestry that we were lucky to experience…the pandemic was negative, but this was something positive, a gift we were given.”