ABSTRACT
Marjolein Baars, a Dutch theatre maker and performer, is an expert in the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique. Central to this technique is the notion of inspired acting, whereby the actor’s body is their most important instrument. During her 2023 artistic residency at the Leyden Academy on Vitality and Ageing research institute, philosopher and first author Tom Maassen became fascinated by the concepts of inspired acting and the body as instrument. In his research on care aesthetics, he attempts to develop new artistic educational tools for healthcare students and professionals to enable them to use their bodies and sensory experiences in more constructive, meaningful, and artistic ways. Starting from inspired acting and exploring the value of inspiration and aesthetics in participatory research and academic thinking, the authors finally arrive at the novel notion of inspired caring. The chapter concludes with an examination of the potential of this care aesthetic in healthcare education.
