Workshops

Looking In, Looking Out (2023)

A participatory project of artist residencies teaching analogue photography & poetry, using environmental stimuli & based in a transparent dome. An innovation for students & residents with low cultural capital, interweaving science, art history, social science, literature & artistic practice.

A development of the first Arts Council England funded project (Dependent Origination) this project is an innovation that bridges formal wellbeing tools (mindfulness) with creative practice, led by two professional Artists; Akshay Sharma (AKA Mr Shay) and myself.

The project uses different creative practices to enable students to explore and experience the strength within each one of them. It introduces and spotlights the importance of Recognising (what’s inside and outside ourselves), Recording (mentally or physically taking note) and Responding (taking action).

Sessions in the dome are made of two parts:

-‘Environmental observation’ (paying close attention to the visual landscape) leading to a photographic workshop with myself
using the analogue, historical Cyanotype photographic process to create images using handmade treated paper, natural found objects and sunlight.

-‘Environmental sensing’ (using the range of human senses to pay close attention to the landscape) leading into a creative writing session with creative writer and performer Akshay Sharma, using elements from the surrounding environment as a stimulus for writing poetry.

Using mindfulness as the thread to weave the two art disciplines together allows participants to understand the importance of noticing when creating pieces of art. Not only noticing the world around us but also noticing our own condition and how that affects our interactions with our surroundings, learning to look inwards before looking outwards.

An accompanying short film showcasing the project can be found here.
Images courtesy of Emily at Rendah Films.

The project was made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, for which I'm incredibly grateful.