We spent two and a half days at D&D event at beautiful Shoreditch Town Hall in London last weekend. We called many sessions to discuss ‘What are we going to do about theatre and the performing arts’.
Karam, Esther, Emily, Marisa, Fleur, George, Shelley, Aoife, Ria, Caitlin, Arturo, Danny, You-Ri, Monica, Kanako, Isabella, Katherine, Ruth, Scarlet, Claire, Beccy, Xiangyu, Beth, Aïko, Ellie, Lloyd, Cerys, Izzy, Jessi, Rulin, Lex, Lillian, Cara, Rebecca, Louis, Stella, Midge, Joy, Saskia, Anna, Amie, Steven, Matthew, Rachael, Taiwo, Elizabeth, Qasim and one more I don’t remember the name, came to my session. We made 48 dolls in two and a half days.
In the final big circle I said – imagine I am writing a book. At the moment I am writing the last pages of the first chapter. When I finish it there will be the next chapter which will be exactly the same as the first one. A book with many chapters that are exactly the same. However they are also different – there will be another people and another settings, cities, countries. The same exact thing but different.
That’s what I also feel with every session I run in all these 12 years – we are doing the same thing but every single maker/ group experience is unique.
I love the potential of this project to bring us to a beautiful loving place. The process remains magical like it was for the first time.
A massive thank you for the universe, for the makers who joined us this weekend and for D&D team who allowed it happen. I love you all so much, Thank You!
Below are comments some makers wrote about their experience. I forgot to ask all of them to write it. I’m gad though that sometimes I remembered to ask. I felt really emotional while reading these comments.
‘Every time I come to D&D I look forward to the moments of peace and calm conversation while making doll with Regina. Thank you for the repetition of this ritual.
‘Making a doll was such a meditative process. A chance to slow down, focus on something while your brain continues to process the day, the conversations, the thoughts, questions, ideas, and I found myself dreamy too, prompted by the doll in my hands the metaphor was, is, very felt. Being full of dreams and not letting your heart get lost, be swallowed by them. The gentle conversations while people craft are some of my favourites. And Regina you’re a gem. Something magic exists in this space and in these dolls and in you. I’m so glad to have met you and be a little part of this chapter.’
‘A surprisingly rich experience. It feels good to make a doll and place a heart inside it. Sitting with others as we each make our own dolls provides a gentle and fertile base for conversation and connection.’
‘When I was making my doll, Regina said to me: ‘I think you can get some more dreams in there’. And that felt like a good summary of what I needed to take away from this weekend. Crowd your body with dreams and put your heart on top. Thank you Regina!’
‘I found the meditation part of the experience very emotional. I felt very connected with myself, my doll and the person I shared the meditation with.’
‘Thank you so much Regina! What a pleasurable and nourishing experience, embracing the meditative, practical, conversational, spiritual, creative. I’m so glad I made a doll – thanks for your help getting enough dreams into it to make it stand up.’
‘A very meditative experience- allows you to reflect and re-connect with your inner peace. Regina leads with care + passion! ‘
‘Poetical, moving, calming experience. I loved the feeling of contributing to a wider, collective happening. And the meditation felt connected and liberating. Thank you!’
‘I love having this slow and safe space. It makes me feel held + I love my doll. Thank you Regina .’
’Such a wonderful experience connecting with myself and others. I loved making the doll, it felt like an extension of my feelings, hopes, and dreams. Regina was a great facilitator, deeply caring and engaging – had me hooked to the process!’
‘The act of stuffing my dreams in a doll reminds me how Large and Wild our imagination can be. I felt very connected with my memories and feel hopeful about the collective power of 3000 individuals and more to come.’
‘A mix of fluffy and substantial dreams. The doll holds a surprisingly amount of dreams. Connection with the person next to me. The dolls hold hands for a moment embodying what happened. Small head and big heart, something to aspire to.’
‘I wasn’t expecting to stay so long but I ended up having an important conversation. At the end, our dolls held hands.’
‘The process of making something with my hands, feeling textures, fibres, materials, felt like a welcome contrast from the more ethereal medium of speech. I found meaning, more meaning than I thought I would: ‘ don’t lose your heart in the dreams.’ You need an equal amount of heart and dreams to make a project come through/go forward/ realise/materialise.’
‘Regina describes the doll’s chest as ‘a bed for the heart’. While I was making the doll my heart was at rest. Truly at rest. While I stuffed the dreams into the doll I was grateful for all the dreams that have been stuffed into me by everyone here. Thanks for being the custodian of the dreams and hearts Regina .’
‘A beautiful time with the right people. Thank you Regina.’
‘Taught me that I can create with my hands. I threaded a needle – with my new […] I loved it.’
‘Regina made the process deliberate and important. It felt like a collective event and was held with much care. Prepared and made with love. I’ll remember it for a very long time. I’m pleased to know my doll will join so many other well and lovingly made hearts and dreams.’
‘Putting someone’s dream in a doll… such an interesting feeling. As soon as I heard the word ‘dream’, the filling became a magical substance and my doll was so alive. In the end we put our pulse, heart and breath into the dolls. Wishing those dolls long dreaming.’
‘I was amazed how many dreams you can stuff in this tiny doll. Tiny but full of dreams. Such a honour to be able to join thousands of other dreams that we wholeheartedly care. It is such a lovely experience to feel my pulsed and sending my energy into the doll’s heart. Thank you so much for such a beautiful experience and meditating together, so much love to our dreams.’
‘Pulse beating. Heart touching. Thread weaving. Needle stitching. Conversation unfurling. Hand making. A moment of peace. Thank you Regina!’
‘The process of making something with my hands meant so much to me. to be able to slow down and do something methodical- filling the head, hands and feet with dreams first, then arms, legs and body – felt like a very nurturing and connective process. and to fill my doll with dreams and a heart was a perfect reminder to keep feeling and dreaming amongst all the other work we do.’
‘Lumpy or soft, my dreams are limitless and my heart is stuffed. Thank you!’
‘Dream Big.’
‘I learnt the process of connection of delayed gratification which comes with creativity.’
‘I loved the collective experience of making the dolls and meditating with them together – it was beautiful to share our dreams and wishes with the dolls and each other!’
‘A meditative and joyful expression of present moment bliss. How glorious to be the maker of my own dreams. How uplifting to hold my own heart. What a privilege to be involved in collective making. Thank you.’
We installed 300 dolls made from 2014 to 2024 in big D&Ds. They were at the balcony listening to us, they bumblebeed and butterflied around being inspired by our sessions.
They were moved to see 48 newborns, their small sisters and brothers, creating a beautiful mandala in the centre of the final big circle. They loved when Phelim jumped in the middle of them, sounded the bell and danced with them, magical!
Some of us got emotional when we saw them looking at us from the balcony.
A Huge Thank You for all the makers who joined us to make dolls, for godmother Ess who helped to create a gorgeous poster for the dolls’ installation, for Paul Levy’s photo celebrating one of Open Space principles, for lovely Varshini and all D&D team for receiving all of us and make us feel so welcome, Thank You!
This month we went to an event in Oxford called Radical Curiosity – a conversation about creativity and the arts in dangerous times.
I usually have a feeling of uncertainty when I’m about to invite people to make dolls and meditate but I always do it, and I’ve been doing it for twelve years.
After I invited everybody I talked to Lee about this feeling and he seemed to really understand and told me that that feeling is inevitable. He said that the possibility that something will not work – even if it is something you have done before – has to be there for it to be art. His words made me feel good, as always.
Yes I’ve been doing it for twelve years and every single session is a brand new experience that always surprises me.
Ana, Miranda, Atri, Clara, Alex, Dolcie, Georgia, Nicola and Lizzy came and we made 9 dolls in total.
‘Occupy your hands with cloth and lining
occupy your hands with people and dreams
many dreams in each arm and leg
many dreams in the head
and a heart in the right place.’
‘Beautiful meditative experience. Making ‘ just because’ – time away from the ‘big’ conversations to engage and dream amongst friends.’
‘A mindful, creative and loving experience filled with warmth and positive vibes.’
’Something concrete and metaphorical at the same time.’
‘It was a massive risk for me but I made a doll from the beginning to the end. I overcome a trauma/fobia from my childhood.’
‘One of the most magical experiences of my life.’
I am so grateful for all maker who joined us, for Erica who invited us for such special day together and Lee who brought Open Space technology I love to organise our work. We had a precious time together, thank you!
‘May angels speak through my mouth. It was an afternoon of light and happiness. A very beautiful experience. Thank you Regina, now I see everything. Life is a dream, and dreams, dreams are.’
‘Loving and enlightened meeting on a Monday surrounded by sun and trees’
‘Where it touches the heart where everything happens everything that can and should happen the breathing the pulsation the dreams the filling of the body the soul the spirit that fills each one who is whole for life.’
‘I consider it a privilege to have an opportunity to come together to be in silence, breathe, talk, light our dreams, think about our dreams, handle our dreams, listen to our dreams. Being in a circle, in unity, weaving ways to continue life generates a silver lining, a breath of air. The aesthetics of the dolls, the rescued hearts, the trees, the friendships, all made this afternoon full of good energy.’
‘What a beautiful thing… congratulations! Re, your work has always been wonderful. Since we all met (1990) you have been working directly from heart to hearts. It was always love, the awakening of illusion, that governed everything you did. This is how I perceived it, as your friend and classmate in the performing arts. You make art of love.’
‘The material that animates and moves us can be clouds, cotton candy and also dreams. It was powerful to know that dreams can be made of someone else’s rest, without a face, with hearts that beat in Freudian or, who knows, disturbing, fantastic nights. I chose a grimy skin, with an artery that ended up visible from the leg to the hip. Why is this skin grimy?From the winds that blew, other people’s breath, landscapes that were not always salubrious. I sew the grimy skin and think about the scars, about the dreams that fray, about the scars in the midst of dreams. Gratitude for the permission, from you, from the universe.’
Last January we were at Pina Contemporânea, an amazing Art Gallery in São Paulo Brazil.
It was Oxossi’s day and for coincidence we were given a room with views to a park. Oxossi is a forest Orixá, a divine spirit of African religion the slaves brought to Brazil. Some makers celebrate the Orixás and we were glad to be in such beautiful environment surrounded by nature. The room was in green tones and myself dressed in green clothes blending with the room and the park. It looked like a beautiful inexpected celebration to Oxossi.
Claudia, Eda, Vera, Antonio, Karin, Solange, Lucia e Lena came and we made 8 dolls.
We talked about recurrent and premonition dreams. We learned that an indigenous dad usually asks to his children when they wake up in the morning ‘What did you learn tonight?’ ref to the dreams they’ve just dreamt. We also learnt that dream’s people are called ‘the enchanted’. Beautiful!
It was a real privilege to meet my dear friends and spend such a lovely afternoon together. Your generosity moves me. Thank you so much for coming, and a special thanks to Eda who organised our beautiful room at Pina Contemporânea. I love you all!
