What if some of a community's greatest strengths can't be captured in a survey, a spreadsheet - or even a map?
If Episode 3 encouraged us to see the wider system, this episode invites us to look more deeply into lived experience.
Host Dr. Katie Blair is joined by Dr. Barbara Doran, an arts-based researcher and educator, to explore body mapping - a creative participatory method that helps people express experiences, knowledge and strengths that are often difficult to put into words.
Barbara reflects on the limitations of traditional community engagement approaches, arguing that even strengths-based methods like asset mapping can overlook the emotional, embodied and deeply personal experiences that shape people's lives. Through stories from her own practice - including projects with young people, parents and carers, and women who have experienced trauma - she demonstrates how body mapping creates opportunities for people to share richer, more nuanced stories about themselves and their communities.
The conversation explores how body mapping works in practice, from creating safe and supportive spaces through to using creative prompts and storytelling to uncover insights that conventional consultation methods rarely reveal. Barbara also shares practical guidance for introducing body mapping into your own work.
More than an arts-based activity, body mapping is a different way of listening. It reminds us that knowledge doesn't only live in words - it also lives in memory, emotion, sensation and lived experience. When we create space for people to express these experiences in their own way, we don't just gather better information - we create the conditions for connection, understanding and transformation.
Voices
Katie Blair, PhD is Manager, Research and Evaluation at the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney. Her work focuses on community-engaged research, participatory evaluation and strengthening community voice to support meaningful social change.
Barbara Doran, PhD is an arts-based researcher and educator at the University of Technology Sydney's Transdisciplinary School. Her work explores how creative and embodied methods can deepen participation, surface lived experience and support more inclusive approaches to research, education and community engagement.
Credits
Written by Mitra Gusheh, Tshinta Morris, Anusha Muller and Katie Blair. Recorded and edited by Jane Curtis and Lachlan A'Court. Executive producer: Sarah Gilbert. Mapping What Matters is made by UTS Impact Studios, in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and Glebe Youth Service. This project was also supported by the Paul Ramsey Foundation.Mapping What Matters is made by UTS Impact Studios, in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and Glebe Youth Service. This project was also supported by the Paul Ramsey Foundation.
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