CREATIVE RESPONSES – CHANGING PATTERNS

The work of the HEROINES project is one of extension and inclusion. The intention is to provide a comprehensive set of tools to allow facilitators in various countries to deliver a series of workshops aimed at empowering women through the examples of other women. These women, HEROINES, have overcome adversity, often challenging established values, and demanding respect and recognition for their achievements, on their own terms. In doing so, workshop participants realise their own possibilities, recognising their own achievements and potential by creative responses to these stories, their own stories and those of their peers to recognise that they too, are HEROINES who might inspire others. The tools developed include a course of workshop ideas, a curriculum guide and resources with which to facilitate the sessions and examples of female role models – HEROINES. The workshops have been facilitated around therapeutic writing tasks that serve to respond to these stories, music and visual images – photography, craft and artwork. The outcome has been deeply moving self-storied accounts of participants’ lives, creative writing and artwork. Some of the writings, arts and crafts have been collaboratively produced and thus hold a particularly valuable place in the project for it demonstrates the effectiveness of the exercises in prompting a creative response, the ability to cooperate and create together and the abilities of the facilitators working to encourage responses that honour individuals in group work.

The project does not end here. In turn, other women will recognise and respond to this most recent layer of creative output and produce writings and artwork that can enable them to change the pattern of response to adverse and difficult situations. Instead of inwardly reflecting alone, it can be possible to express feelings through poetry, stories, narrative accounts and visuals. These can be bold and outspoken, shared or contained within the safety of the page. This extends and enriches our social world, building confidence of individuals to reach more women through their example

Many of the participant accounts provoke a variety of emotional responses in the reader or viewer and a group of artists in Bristol shared their responses in a series of art workshops and an exhibition. In the UK, the ‘Showing Faces – Living Feelings’ exhibition is currently on show in the Southmead Hospital foyer until 27 September 2021. Each artist has engaged in an ‘altruistic collaboration’ by responding to the writing offered by NEW HEROINES from Finland, Greece, Slovenia and Spain. The artists have written their own reflection on how the artworks connect with the writing and reflect on how connected they feel to the women who have shared their creative work and the ‘invisible threads’ across Europe that the project has created. The five artists have also described how creating together as part of HEROINES has bonded them together.

Below are examples of the images created by the artists and the pieces that inspired them:

Magic Box, by Mimi

I would put in the box

the eye of a peacock butterfly

the brave colour of a silver-washed fritillary

the majestic flight of a swallowtail

I would put in the box

the wistful song of a blackbird

the nocturnal sigh of an eagle owl

the echoing call of a gavia arctica

I would put in the box

a spring concerto among branches

a torrent of abundant life

when everyone wakes to the light of the sun

I would put in a box

afterglow and sunset

The back of a calm lake

a rower disappearing into the horizon

When I look at my box

it is fashioned from pasque flowers, bluebells and daisies

it is guarded by a blister beetle with a blue glow

from there the vesperbats depart for their short night flight

When I look at it

I remember where I come from

where I am and where I am going to

and what is important

Title: Magic Box.

Name of the artist: Joanna McParland.

Materials used: Collagraph and intaglio print, pen, gouache and watercolour pencil on paper.

Inspired by the poem: ‘Magic Box’ from Finland by Mimi.

Artists’ words: The poem celebrates some of the joyful aspects of nature, and I have chosen a literal interpretation of this, drawing the animals and plants in each line, as if coming out of a magic box/ the earth. The words evoke the promise of early spring, when nature wakes again with the sunlight. These signs of hope and new beginnings start with the winter solstice, and we can watch them grow through winter; they are always here. We just need to look and listen. Keeping close to nature is necessary; it helps us stay grounded, mindful and see ‘what is important’.

A Moment on the Path, collaborative poem from Ozara d.o.o., Slovenia:

Just today,

power and courage,

I trust myself, I believe.

On the path of history

I stop today,

courage and love.

The right path today,

of my ancestors,

powerful wind.

Title: Just Today.

Name of the artist: Ronny Payne.

Materials used: Oil paint on canvas.

Inspired by the poem: ‘A Moment on the Path’ from Ozara d.o.o., collaborative poem.

Artists’ words: The importance of strength and awe obtained by nature. The fortitude, vitality and power that inspires and connects to the very start of us. It is beauty touching the original loveliness in being that has been trampled with the ugliness of humanity. Pointing to the joy and loveliness, once hidden, that still exists and needs to be seen. Needing to be a part of… Needing to be held and seen and heard and recognized.

Reminding us of

Love.