I received an email about a workshop on the interlock between Art, migration and health, looking for facilitators for the workshop. I emailed them immediately, asking to participate a facilitator. I thought it can be a good experience for me, my project is connected to the interchange between art, migration and (mental) health, so it will be a fantastic fit. Even my classmate Michella thought it can be a good fit for me, so sent me this email as well.
After a while, I receive a response that they decided to change the workshop setting and now will not be using a facilitator but only participator and asked me to participate, as one of the artists since the workshop will have a creative take. I agreed to do so but asked in return if it will be possible for me to do an intervention for my project. They replied with uncertainty and ask for some details, I provide the details and the idea of my project and the intervention, after a while they didn't reply back, and sent another email, and they replied asking for more detailed about the intervention but after I sent a more detailed intervention they replied that they won't be able to accommodate my intervention in the workshop but hoping I can still participate.
I decided (and replied back) that I will, I think it can be a good experience for me, learning how they set up a workshop, maybe I will be able to add some of my intervention as part of my creative ideas. and if not, I might be able to meet stakeholders, experts or someone else that might be beneficial to my project and if not, at least I will experience a workshop on this matter.
30-10-19
so I went to the workshop yesterday and it was really great. I felt uncomfortable at first, not familiar with networking yet (but working on it...) so I thought where to sit first which is always a big deal because it can be crucial for the rest of your day and sometimes can determine if you will develop relations with the rest of the people there.
I saw a few groups of women that seemed to be from the same ethnic background with the same clothing and talking in a foreign language, so I decided not to sit with them at first so I won't feel isolated. So I just sat at the first table in the front and got myself a cup of coffee and a cookie. few minutes later, other women sat next to me and started talking to me, a little bit about themselves, asking about me. For the last few weeks I find it more difficult to answer the question "what are you doing?", for the past two years I answered that I'm a student but the closer we get to graduation, the more uncertain I get about how should I define myself, so I notice I variant, depends on who I talked to and how I feel about my project and about my course at that moment. So I met some interesting women, and exchange contacts with two - both artists that work with migrated women at their projects, collecting stories, memories, community and art - these subjects came together a lot during the workshop and it made me feel inspired and proud of what I'm doing and what my project is about.
2-11-19
I reflect on the workshop, after my conversation yesterday with Maya, and I remember that both artists I was talking to, talked about the process, the art, the community, the curation but not on the conclusions, the consequences, and I was wondering, maybe it's because there was no conclusion, and it's the process that gradually creates the connection, the support, the healing.
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