Dr Linan Zhang: Parliamentary supremacy in light of the Human Rights Act 1998: a shift towards constitutional democracy
Following my PhD, this seminar pursues my new-found interest in law by presenting an essay on one aspect of the English legal system and the constitution.
The UK constitution is rather unique because of its uncodified (unwritten) nature; it is governed by a few principles, in which the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy (or sovereignty) ensures that Parliament is the supreme law-making body and may enact or repeal laws on any subject. This paper discusses the arguably ‘unlimited’ power of Parliament in relation to the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA). HRA incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights into UK domestic law. It is debatable whether the enactment of this constitutional statute has weakened this doctrine. By unpacking relevant statutory provisions, case law, and constitutional principles, the paper argues that HRA was drafted with the principle of parliamentary sovereignty in mind and the legal law-making supremacy of Parliament has not been undermined; however, limitations exist in practice due to an ideological shift towards constitutional democracy, as reflected by the Act.
Dr. Edith Doove: The pivotal turn of art as healer
From the wide range of publications that have been published recently we learn that viewing visual artwork doesn’t only have a beneficial effect on the mental and physical health of patients, but on that of staff and visitors as well.[ii] Certainly one of the most successful publications is that of Daisy Fancourt’s recent Art Cure – The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health (Penguin Books, 2026. It’s the outcome of her research as a Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group and as Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. The success of her book makes her a frequent guest in all kinds of podcasts, webinars and conferences and co-author of reviews such as the recent ‘Mechanisms underpinning the mental health impact of arts engagement’ in Nature Reviews Psychology. In this she and her co-authors Argyris Stringaris and Pier Luigi Sacco introduce the intriguing concept of the ‘arts exposome’: daily art engagement that has positive impact on mental health.
The success of Fancourt’s book shows that her research and that of many others has clearly struck a chord. The insight that art, whether seen or practiced, is not just some fancy waste of time and money, but should actually be seen as an important pillar of health, contributing to mental and physical health as well as social connection and even longevity, is an important pivotal turn. I feel that this success is somehow related with the disenchantment that I felt with the commercial art world which drove me to change my practice and that it might contribute to an important redevelopment.
(Extracted from my article – see below)
Literature:
Articles, reviews
CultureForHealth Report 2022. https://www.cultureforhealth.eu/app/uploads/2023/02/Final_C4H_FullReport_small.pdf
Doove, E. The pivotal turn of art as healer (2026) https://hadithi.net/the-pivotal-turn-of-art-as-healer/
Fancourt, D., Stringaris, A. & Sacco, P.L. Mechanisms underpinning the mental health impact of arts engagement. Nat Rev Psychol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-026-00545-2
Flower, M.; Hamington, M. Care Ethics, Bruno Latour, and the Anthropocene. Philosophies 2022, 7, 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7020031
Kallio-Tavin, M. (2025). More-Than-Human Care in Art Education: Postqualitative Ontologies and Other Minor Gestures. Studies in Art Education, 66(4), 442–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2025.2553498
Lowenhaupt Tsing, A., e.a. Arts of Living on A Damaged Planet – Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene. University of Minnesota Press, 2017. https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517902377/arts-of-living-on-a-damaged-planet/
Puncer, M. Philosophy of Care, Feminist Care Theory and Art Care. Philosophies 2025, 10, 80. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies10040080
Stamkou, Eftychia, and DacherKeltner. 2026. “Aesthetic Revolution: How Art Shapes Social Worlds,” Social and Personality Psychology Compass: e70135. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.70135.
Talasek, JD. Wired for Art. Leonardo. https://leonardo.info/blog/2026/01/02/wired-for-art-how-neuroarts-is-redefining-health-healing-and-human-connection
Books
Fancourt, D. Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform our Health. Penguin Books: London, UK, 2026. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462340/art-cure-by-fancourt-daisy/9781804950791
Groys, B. The Philosophy of Care. Verso: London, UK, 2022.
Magazines
Nordic Journal of Arts, Culture and Health, https://www.scup.com/journal/njach
Webinars
The Art of Prescribing: Advancing Arts-Based Pathways to Health – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocnv9rzJeYY
Websites
Culture for Health – https://www.cultureforhealth.eu/
Vagab(o/u)nds Research 