Ler Devagar bookshop space was perfect to run the workshop. We stayed at the exhibition space and I showed slides of the project while we were making the dolls.
Lois, Remi, Sebastian, Lillian, Matthieu, Lucas, Laurence came along. We made 9 dolls and we all meditate at the end of the workshop, they decided to wait everybody finish their dolls so we could meditate together, such a lovely group of people, plenty of calm and good mood. They also liked the picture books and bought four.
Some comments
‘Una experiência encantadora y relajante.’ ‘An enchanting and relaxing experience’
‘It was fantastic!’
‘Merci Beaucoup pour cet atelier de partage et de détente. Bravo!’ ‘Thank you very much for this workshop of sharing and relaxation. Bravo!’
‘C’etait une experience très apaisante. Merci.’ ‘It was a very soothing experience. Thank you.’
‘Travaille de patience mais très satisfaisant au final.’ ‘Work with patience but very satisfying in the end.’
‘La vie est belle, profitons en.’ ‘Life is beautiful, let’s enjoy it.’
I will never forget this first workshop in Lisbon!
I felt very emotional after ’In Practice’ at Royal Academy of Arts last Friday in London.
We were at the same room Darwin launched The origin of Species in 1858, omg, in that small room!!!
Molly, who organised the event, introduced the dolls for everybody right at the beginning. She explained I would be making dolls throughout the event and anyone could join me.
She said ‘Regina woke up beginning of 2011 with the whole idea of making one doll for each one of us on earth and since 2013 she has been making them regularly herself and with others. She feels each doll filled with dreams, a heart and completed with a meditation, makes someone somewhere feels good and happier, it gives people courage to live their best selves’
Yes, I wrote to her these lines but it had a profound effect on me when I listened her saying it for everybody.
I am relieved to present the project exactly what it is – one doll for each one of us on earth. That is it. It was always it. Five communities of 700 is just the first chapter of the project.
Three people joined me to make dolls – Jeanette, Kirsty and Rachel – and we, including Sarah, made 8 dolls. They all loved their experience. At the end of the event they gave me big hugs, I was literally lifted up by one of the hugs, they were so happy to help the project!
We were making dolls inspired by the experience of artists facing barriers accessing the art world.
I was reminded, by two artists, moments I had with my daughter’s dad ages ago. Keith and Bridget work together in the same canvas. ‘We’ve been there‘ is the name of their work and it reminded me when I painted on the same canvas, exactly like they do, with him. I am grateful that their work reminded me these forgotten moments. I can say ‘I’ve been there’ and it was good.
I was deeply moved during the evening in many different ways, I still am.
It was a special evening for DH project, for me personally and for all the artists, an absolutely amazing evening.
Thank you so much Sarah and Molly, these two incredible women I am blessed to know, thank you!
During the artists presentations I wrote down what inspired me most about their work.
Emma paints about the broken heart of romantic love.
Eleonora does phototherapy to help people.
Pat does her art work inspired by her previous work as an art teacher for children with behaviour difficulties and she realised that most of parents of those children didn’t play with them .
Keith and Bridget work together in the same canvas. ‘We’ve been there‘ is the name of their work and it reminded me when I used to paint on the same canvas, exactly like they do, with my daughter’s dad ages ago. I am grateful that their work reminded me these forgotten moments, I can say ‘I’ve been there’ and it was good.
Paul was in prison and in hospitals where he developed his art work. He paints beautiful portraits and some landscapes.
Heather does oil paintings about her experience of being disabled and abused online.
Tina has motor neurone disease, the same disability as Stephen Hawking, she loves to do her art work surrounded by friends.
Vera make sculptures of animals inspired by her little bird.
Terry paints people in the Amazon and in rainforests all over the world and writes poems about her paintings. She reads the poems with lots of intensity, for me sometimes was over the top and I enjoyed it.
Regina makes lots of dolls, one for each one of us on earth, she doesn’t need to pretend she is making less than that.
This month I released the first picture book of the series Dreams and a Heart.
It is a limited edition of 50 books. It tells the story related to the beginning of the project back in 2011.
Rica Ramos brought to life the images I had in my mind through a computer program. We shared screen throughout the process. He is in Brazil and I am in London. I was impressed how we can play with the images in a way physical drawing/painting doesn’t allow us to do. Rica has experience with this program but it was the first time he worked in a picture book.
The images capture some of the elements and environment in real life which were present at the moment the project was born.
If you are interested to buy a copy of this limited edition, message me and I’ll post it for you.
I payed £7 each copy. You can pay what you decide. If you pay more than £7 you will help the project keep going, thank you!
We spent the last three days in another amazing D&D event ‘What are we going to do about Theatre and the Performing Arts?’ at Triton Square New Diorama Theatre in London.
I was impressed by the access provision. For example, there were several spots where we could run our sessions and each one was named after a musical instrument. My session was at the spot called piano. There was a box of music called audio beacon in each spot of the room to help people with impaired vision to find us. For that reason for the first time we had a lovely classic piano music during the whole weekend while making the dolls, we loved it.
Marit, Angela, Lloyd, Imwen, Sarah, Nabilah, Laurence, Tara, Jim, Amado, Rachel, Sia, Sophie, Natasha, Patricia, Christopher, Claire, Sophie, Chloe, Marissa, Rosalind, Ray, Nola, Sara, Tim, Evaristo, Ellis, Yuyu and Craig came to my session. We put dreams and hearts into the dolls and when each doll was finished we meditated with our attention on our heartbeat.
We always start with a small amount of dreams and every part of the doll’s body is full of dreams – hands, feet, head, neck, legs, arms, chest… every single one.
We made 34 dolls in total (3+4= 7)
I was happy to release Dreams and a Heart first book. It is a limited edition of only 50 books. I payed £7 for each one, it was a beautiful coincidence as 7 is an important number for the project. I asked everybody to pay what they want and if they payed more than £7 the money would help the project keep going. Almost all of them payed £10!
Some comments:
‘It was great to have a session where you could rest and let your mind rest. We often rush from place to place and our bodies are still but our minds are not. Thank you’
‘A precious quiet moment in a busy room. A conversation with a woman I had never met before but who showed me the most beautiful tiny books she has made. I put a heart in a doll while this was going on, a wonderfully spent half an hour’
‘An hour, a doll, an experience of deep relaxation. Happy Happy. Joy Joy’
‘When meditating I actually saw a heart, it must be because of the inspiring people I just met and the energy of all those unique human beings in this room’
‘A beautiful project led by a beautiful person, very therapeutic’
‘I feel honoured to add my doll to this worldwide collective. Thank you Regina for continuing this project’
‘It reminded me of sewing with my mum as a child! Lovely’
‘Such a beautiful project and so much contained in the quiet, slow task. Thank you’
‘Thank you Regina for this beautiful, contemplative, calming, hope filled project. I had a wonderful time letting the world pass by and concentrating on making a heart filled figure’
‘A peaceful, relaxing activity, quite hard to do properly at first but then easier as the doll began to take shape. The whole thing very special, leading naturally into meditation at the end. I am delighted to contribute to the project’
All the dolls are sewed with red thread. A Chinese girl told me that in their tradition the red thread is a lucky connection that ties us together. That’s exactly what I feel every time we make dolls and every time we meet at D&D.
Thank you so much everybody who made dolls, who bought the books, lovely Jennifer who brought me five pillows full of dreams, a huge thank you for all the amazing people who helped the event and of course dearest Sarah, Ben, Anabel, Nick, Lee and Phelim, thank you!
