Barbican, London UK
Last Friday, 19th August, we went to a D&D event at Barbican ‘Shall we create a European Union of Artists?’
I called a session ‘Fear and anger are held between our shoulder blades – 700 angels to bring peace to 7 billion people, help me with the wings’
Leo, Gretchen, Holly, Dora and Greta came to the session, we made the whole process with some dolls and we put wings in 25 of them.
We were in a privileged spot that included a free colour therapy throughout the day – there was over our heads a light ceiling that changed colour all the time, rainbow colours, loved it!
I showed everybody the developmental process from the Human (‘here’) to the Angel (‘up there’) passing through the intermediate stage (‘here – there – everywhere’).
In the last session I had an important conversation, it gave me strength to deal with stuff I’ve been having some difficulties at this moment, thank you Susie!
Some comments:
‘Third D&D. First doll. Learnt how to sew and surprisingly meditative throughout, from the first efforts to stuff the feet to the final meditation. Very glad to have finally made a doll’.
‘It was very calming and therapeutic and conducive to good conversation’
We were a small group at the event but the quality of our meeting was excellent with amazing feedbacks at the big closing circle.
Thank you everyone and Sarah, Susie and Phelim to help making this open space such a loving place, thank you!
Cressfield Close Sheltered Housing, Kentish Town, London UK
On Wednesday afternoon 13th July we went to Cressfield Close sheltered housing with the dolls. Mary, the lady who takes care of the elders, Connie, Peggy, Jean, Ivy and Karol came and we made 9 dolls. At the end of the session we all meditated together.
In the three workshops I run with the elders so far we shared our life stories, ‘good or bad’, with an incredible sense of humour, it was so fun, we laugh a lot and I was specially inspired by their joy of being alive (some of them over 90). I needed to stay for almost two hours more than planned because they all wanted to finished their dolls.
Thank you so much Karol for invited me to spend such a good time together, my heart is with them all.
I went out feeling that depressed people could benefit a lot by doing volunteer work with the elders, they can cheer them up.
Delton Tower Sheltered Housing, Kentish Town, London UK
On Wednesday 13th July we spent the morning at Delton Tower sheltered housing for the second time. Janice, Mary, Catherine, Patsy and Karol came. We turned inside out 20 dolls, Janice and Mary finished the dolls they started in the last time. Patsy wants to be called the sewing lady, she can’t deal with the stuffing as she is allergic of it, so she sew the leg of a doll that she named Millie. Catherine started another doll and left us earlier.
At the end of the session Donna and ?, the ladies who take care of the elders, joined us and we all meditated together focusing on our pulse and breath, it was a beautiful moment!
I really enjoy being with them again, we feel relaxed and happy together.
Delton Tower Sheltered Housing, Kentish Town, London UK
On Wednesday 11th May I went for the first time to Delton Tower sheltered housing. I was invited by Karol, a puppeteer that I met in a D&D last year. Mary, Janice, Catherine, Lili, Reginald and Karol came, we put dreams and hearts into the dolls and we meditated connecting with our pulse.
We had an interesting conversation about the new Mayor of London with very different opinions – ‘here is not England anymore’, ‘ it is much better now’ and so on. They also shared lots of jokes during the entire morning.
We are going to meet again to make some more dolls, to finish some of them and to have more fun together.
Karol has donated her pillow full of dreams to the project, thank you!
See you all soon!
Barbican, London UK
Last Monday, 11th July, we went to another D&D event at Barbican ‘Shall we create an European Union of Artists?’
I called a session ‘Fear and anger are held between our shoulder blades so 700 Angels to bring peace to 7 billion people. Help me with the wings’
We sat in a gorgeous garden, at the Barbican garden room, in the spot called flowers.
Ruth, Francis, Shemine and Joe came to the session, we put around 30 wings on the dolls.
The meditation has changed – we held the dolls/angels on our hand with our fingers on their hearts and on their back (what we have been already doing before) but now we focused our attention in our pulse and in our upper back. This meditation including the focus on the back brought us the area between the heart and the opposite point in the back, we can feel the area inside our body, the volume of it, in a way we were not able to feel before when we meditated just with the heart.
The fact that we now have the front and the back to meditate with gives us a deeper/ wider dimension for the practice.
At a certain point three of us stayed more than half a hour meditating, it was the first time such a long period of time happened when we meditate with the dolls, it was a special moment we shared in that beautiful garden.
We had also a inspired conversation about babies and how the educational system can hurt our children and what we can do to minimise it.
Some comments
‘ this was an extremely calming experience and I realised how tired I am and how thankful I am for this opportunity to be peaceful’.
‘ I remarked how these angels and Regina’s ideas for an art installation brought to mind the Steiner schools where my children went as youngsters. I think perhaps there might be possibilities within the Steiner world for this sort of project to happen’
Thank you for all D&D staff – Sarah, Susie, Rachel, Phelim, Lee, Nick – who quickly organised this emergency D&D to give us support and hope, You Are the Artists Guardian Angels, you help us to be connected and have a voice in the middle of this chaos, I am once more immensely grateful, thank you!
Rich Mix, Shoreditch, London UK
Yesterday we had a great D&D event ‘What are we (yes, we) going to do about Europe (and the rest of the world)?’ at Rich Mix. My favourite invitation so far, written by Tom.
Mayou and Sarah helped me to put dreams and hearts into six dolls.
Thanks to D&D team we had once more this precious opportunity to spend time together having inspiring conversations on how we (yes, we) are going to change the world into a better place to live.
Thank you!
Meditation pics at ENO this weekend
English National Opera, London UK
This last weekend we were together in another great D&D event ‘How can we change opera for the better’ at English National Opera in London.
Bill, Malika, Delia, Suni, Germaine, Ruth, Norman and Blue came to my session and helped to put dreams and hearts into the dolls and we meditated connecting with our heartbeat. We made 13 dolls together.
We are now half way to complete the second community of 700 dolls!
Some interesting new thing happened at this time – the dolls were given names – we’ve got now a George, a Clive, an Emmer and an Odette.
‘George has one leg longer than the other – just like me!’
‘Emer has a beautiful heart’
‘Clive is funny and beautiful inside out.’
‘Odette is a very calming person’
and a comment about the process
‘Thank you! I found that more emotional then I expected and I needed to be alone for a few minutes afterwards’
On Sunday morning I told everybody that it took me three years to reach a thousand dolls. I am growing older and I don’t want to die before I reach at least the five communities of 700 dolls. I need more people to help me making them so we can reach 1000 in one year and meet the target in two years and a half time instead of 10 years!!!
Thank you so much everybody and a special thank you to D&D people who opened this space to talk and do what is essential for us so we can transform the world in a better place to live, Thank You!
The Vaults Festival, London UK
Every Saturday afternoon from 30th January to 6th March 2016 I spent precious time at D&D events at The Vaults Festival in London.
We talked about funny women, artists with learning disabilities, autism, depression and other mental illnesses, progressive politics, women ageing and about the Vaults festival.
Paul, Sharon, Malika, Jolen, Lee, Imogen, Paul, Sarah, Susie, Colin, Yolande and Rachel helped to make dolls, we made 29 together while having these inspiring conversations and we also meditated.
‘It is like building an extension of oneself filling it with love’ – a beautiful comment about the dolls.
Thank you so much Sarah, Susie, Rachel and Kirsty for being such great facilitators, Susie and Rachel first time, they did it brilliantly, thank you!
Seriously, I will miss these Saturdays under Waterloo bridge, they made my winter much warmer.
