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!
This year we continue to meet regularly at Cufos Community Centre in Muswell Hill. We changed the evening to the last Wednesday of the month instead of last Friday. Mary, Fiona, Olga, Nobby and Nicola came over, we made 38 dolls and we always meditated them at the end of the evening. There is another lovely band rehearsing next door so we still enjoy good music while working together on Wednesdays.
I love working at Cufos, a small cozy house beside Alipali. I admire so much the volunteers who work hard to make this little Community Centre alive, always trying to resolve lots of problems with plenty of good mood and patience.
Thank you so much everybody for another great year at Cufos.
http://cufos.org.uk/Activities/index.html
Yesterday evening I went to the D&D event ‘What are we – of all genders – who work in performing arts going to do about sexual abuse in our industry?’ at Theatre Deli in London.
Many important issues were raised, in between them a man said that he stopped smoking some years ago and he asked us why did he take this decision? A beautiful comparison in a moment when we are looking for healthier relationships.
I always love to make my dolls listening to all the conversations going on around me. I feel confident that we are transforming our lives for the better.
I know the world become happier every time we meet.
A huge thank you to Sarah, Ben, Anabel and Phelim who opened the space once more so we could do the work we needed to do.
On Saturday 7th October I run a workshop at Camden Fun Palace based on New Diorama Theatre in London.
Julia, Jeanette, Aimee, Sujatha, Claire, Ellice, Billy, Lidia, Andrea, Grace, Miriam, Tim, Sophie, David, Jean, Alice, Sarah and children Nicola, Eve, Charlotte and two more came to the workshop. We made 21 dolls together, each doll was added on the string to play with their friends. Some of the dolls were finished and meditated, some of them I finished and meditated at home.
I was busy with people all the time, some of them started their dolls, then they run to another activity and then they came back to continue the work. There were so many interesting things going on! I was touched every time they came back, they really cared about their dolls.
I forgot to ask the dolls makers to write down their comments, I only asked for the two people who came first:
‘Making a doll with dreams + heart is an unique experience, very relaxing, a moment to myself to think about people and places dear to me’
‘It was a nice experience. I felt I was transferring my heartbeat to the doll I made’
We were in a huge room surrounded by all sorts of Art and Science activities, it was like a big colourful market, a lot of people of all ages came over and joined the activities from 11am to 4:30pm.
We were so happy to be part of this amazing event. First time Dreams and a Heart joined Fun Palaces, I definitely would love to come back next year.
With many thanks for Fun Palaces and New Diorama Theatre people who made everything happen, for all people who made dolls and for lovely Sarah who helped me to set up and run the event all day long, thank you all!
Last Wednesday 20th we went to the D&D event What Are We Going To Do About The Gap Between Commercial And Subsidised Theatre? at Onmibus Theatre in London.
Lesley, Diana and Depi came to my session, we made 5 dolls while we shared our life experiences and we meditated connecting our heartbeat.
Some comments:
‘How wonderful to be allowed to be still and in the moment!’
‘It was so unexpected, fulfilling and healing. I feel relaxed and a sort of beauty in my heart. Lovely conversation during stuffing the doll and how nice to share our stories. Really adored the experience’
Thank you Sarah and Anabel for holding the space once more, it was a very cosy evening.
I asked ‘How would you write down the sound of your heartbeat?’ to opera singers, composers, conductors, directors – people who have sounds at the heart of their lives.
These are their answers:
We spent this weekend at Tête à Tête and D&D event ‘How can we change Opera for the better’ at King’s Cross Academy Primary School in London.
Robert, Ian and Sarah came to my session, we made 12 and a half dolls in total, thank you very much!
‘Making the doll with Regina was a calm and individual activity. I enjoyed the feeling of the material and contact with her calm spirit, besos’
I brought different kind of dreams – the long continuous stories and the small quick images that pop up apparently not related with each other. It was nice as people had the option to choose their favourite kind of dream to work with.
I stayed on my own most of the time on Sunday and had the idea to ask everybody this question ‘How would you write down the sound of your heartbeat?’ People answered with some words, some drawings, poetry codes, music notes, scenes… beautiful answers from people who have sounds at the heart of their lives.
I am very grateful to the weather which allowed us to stay outdoors, it was perfect!
and thank you Bill to let us celebrate together 10 years of Tête à Tête The Opera Festival and thank you Sarah and Phelim for holding the space for us, a relaxed and amorous atmosphere throughout the weekend, thank you!
Last Thursday we met at Regents Place at the D&D event ‘Let’s Find Ways To Elevate Lbtq+ Voices, So They Carry The Same Weight In Theatre As The Gay Cis-Male Voice’. It was an invitation from Amie Taylor, Editor-in-Chief at The LGBTQ Arts Review.
I called my session, Cesia, Grace, Sarah, Marie, Anabel and Ellie came to make a doll, we made 6 in total. It is incredible how much I love to run these workshops, seriously, I feel can do it forever.
Amongst our conversation we shared a delicate moment talking about family members that we love so much, how difficult it is to step back and let them go away, how much we miss them and the moments we shared in the past and how much we hope they will come back one day. It was wonderful to open up our hearts and share how painful this process can be no matter how much we understand about it. We also shared feeling male and female at the same time, how much it gives the person a special broader understanding about gender but how much the person still feels ashamed about it.
Some comments:
Everyone’s heart is different.
I’ve taken a soul and filled it with dreams on a lovely evening with very wise and astute company.
I feel like I’m part of something very beautiful, rare and very human, and I am honoured.
Thank you for seeing beauty where other people see trash. Thank you for seeing potential where other people see nothing. Thank you for taking my hopes, nightmares, feverdreams, flights of imagination, naps and nights awake and giving them a new life, spinning our dreams into the kind of art that will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone who comes into contact with it. And thank you most of all for letting me be included! It makes me so happy.
I feel peaceful – thank you for this evening.
Lovely meeting you Regina. Occasionally you meet someone who gives you the opportunity to look at life in a different way. Those moments are very rare, but this moment for me was one of them.
Thank you so much Sarah and Anabel for holding the space for us – first time Anabel lead the big circle introduction and it was brilliant, thank you!
We went yesterday to the D&D event ‘What can we all do about underrepresentation of working class actors in the arts?’ at Triton Square, London.
There were a only one group where all the conversations happened practically the whole evening.
We talked a lot about how working class actors feel discriminated against in castings – is it ‘casting’ a good word? How their education limit their exposure to the arts, how they struggle financially to support themselves in drama training and so on. Many ideas came out to help resolving all the issues.
Ben observed the power of the collective represented by the one only group.
I made 4 dolls which are now filled by the collective enthusiasm and courage to change what needs changing.
Thanks Ben and Anabel for holding the space for all of us.