Image Description: the words JUST FLOW are graffitied in black on to a rusty gate.
Above the text there are decorative swirls.

 

Two participants from the UNION ’19 programme were able to undertake European residencies this year; Grace Darbs in Portugal and Hannah Whitlow in Romania. They were hosted by organisations from the Fellowship of Questions network who, along with UNION were successful in getting funding from the European fund i-Portunus. 

We asked Grace and Hannah to give us some insight on their residencies after returning…

 

Grace Darbs—Almada Thoughts

I was lucky enough to visit Almada, near Lisboa for a week – connecting up with El Warcha for my residency (a social and community arts collective)

This trip was the first time I had travelled internationally since the Pandemic, so I was initially feeling overwhelmed by the thought of the journey, and all that could go wrong. However, once I arrived and met our welcoming hosts, I felt a lot more relaxed – I was eager about the week ahead, and ready to fully give myself over to the opportunity.

The time that I spent there was very warm and very busy –a flurry of days filled with boat rides, visits to cultural locations and walks around Almada, learning about the area and its history. I spent much time speaking to the wonderful participants at the projects the collective operates and enjoyed use of their workshop space. I began to get an understanding of the community there and was offered insight into the dynamics of Almada and the problems they are facing. Almada is over the river from Lisboa – many people there had been forced out to the borders of the heaving city, because of rising prices, and the demands of an ever moving and ever-changing landscape. Some of these issues were strikingly similar to those I encounter in my participatory arts work back in Sheffield.

It swiftly became apparent that El Warcha was a lifeline to the individuals using it – A place for them to come, to make, to connect with one another, to be authentic. Over the course of the week, I created a collective poem using the words of the participants there; I asked them a series of questions, and their answers formed a piece of poetry on places, objects, pasts and futures. The people using El Warcha come from a range of age groups, locations and backgrounds, and although it was challenging to translate their responses from Portuguese to English, the answers that they gave were varied, honest, and often deeply moving. While I spoke to them, Eugen, an artist from Romania who was doing a residency with FOQ alongside me, would draw us and our interactions. We finished the week by sharing our work and experiences on Chapel FM, where I read the collective poem on the airwaves.

I loved the residency and was reminded of how valuable travel and new experiences can be – I left feeling inspired, and so grateful for the learning that had been afforded to me.

 

Hannah Whitlow—Bucharest: Just Flow

I was supposed to undertake my residency at the start of May with Forum Apulum in Bucharest, but I contracted covid (AGAIN) so I couldn’t go. I rearranged my trip for later in the month. Everything happens for a reason…

At first I felt unsure about how I was going to use the week,
I haven’t been afforded the time and space without the requirement of producing something before,
The only outcome was to make an exchange.
Since I recently formed a new creative collective in Berlin, I started with questions that were pertinent to me such as;
“What is the purpose of a collective?”
“How do you create a community?”
“How do you share the division of labour?”
“How do you resolve disputes?”

We brewed tea and talked and talked and connected deeply,
Sat on her balcony with her cat nestled between us,
Let it flow,
Don’t force it,
It is like the river and water,
Flow with nature,
Let it take shape naturally,
I read a poem/saying by Tao Te Ching I had seen on the streets a few nights before, it resonated deeply with what we were saying.

 

So many beautiful moments flowed one into the next.

I took a lot away from this enriching opportunity, not only contacts and connections, but experiences, and messages.

Let go of perfection and the outcome, aim to create a sense of belonging, be a part of something bigger.

This feels like the start of a body of research – I want to continue connecting and chatting with other creatives. Maybe creating a publication detailing other approaches and rituals for collaborative working.

I am returning feeling inspired, motivated and refreshed.