I run two workshops this summer in São Paulo, Brazil, on 01 and 08 August 2015.
Claudia, Vera, Cecilia, Marina, Gabi, Fernando, Cynthia, Dani, Juliana, Jano, Thaiz, Catarina, Julia, Paulo, Aline, Caique, Bruno e Fani came over.
We were mainly actors, directors, play writers and health professionals as physiotherapists, psychologists and doctors.
We made 46 dolls.
Something different happened in the two workshops – we all made the doll’s meditation together at the end of the events during around 10-15 minutes. On the first, Juliana put on some music, what I usually would not like, but it turned out to be a perfect kind of music to meditate, we loved it!
On the second workshop Caique remind us about the “Lion’s Gate Portal’ which happens every year on 08 of August. Numerology says that this date vibrates the energy of continuity and harmonic balance. This year offered a rare triple 8 as 2015 (2+0+1+5) adds another 8 to the day creating a powerful portal to inspire new balance between our hearts and minds.
We made 26 (2+6) dolls and we realised that for us was actually an 8888!
We booked on this date just because it was the date when the space was available. We were blessed by this coincidence which gave an extra sense of joy to the workshop.
For me the presence of my dear teacher Jano at his studio made my 8888 a special day.
We also had an interesting conversation with Paulo, an oncologist researcher, about the similarities between genomics (our genetic code) and astrology. The graphic representation of the connections between the pairs of chromosomes is amazingly similar to an astrological chart. We can see them both as oracles!
I am grateful to everybody who came, Claudia, Vera, Juliana and Jano who helped to invite people to the events, Olivia who lent me her sewing machine, Claudia and Jano who gave us lots of pillows full of their dreams and Gabriela and Jano who shared their super cool studios allowing us to spend those lovely afternoons together.
We met yesterday 17 June 2015 at University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins in another great D&D event ‘How should the theatre industry engage with the new Government?’
I invited people to help me to put dreams and hearts into the dolls. Bill, Lewis, Clea, Fiona, Kasia, Vincent and Olivia came and we finished 11 dolls. We had good conversations. Some comments:
‘Don’t say 700 Regina, say 7 billion!’
‘First of all I would like to thank you immensely for the amazing experience. It has been a pleasure making the dolls with you. I know how important they are to you. I am happy to have been the lucky one to feel the immense good you are making through your job/life and to have contribute to this. I would recommend this session, this deep and philosophical session, to everyone because it makes you understand the importance of contributing/volunteering to a good cause for our modern society. Please Regina, keep on making these dolls and make everyone happy with your wonderful heart.’
We shared a special moment when he connected with his wonderful heart.
I love this project, I love the dolls, I love D&D. Thank you once more to make it possible.
We spent the weekend, 6th and 7th June 2015, at Royal Opera House at the first D&D event about Opera and it was brilliant! The warm sunny days were present in the stunning space every single moment and we were happy to be together, we felt privileged and blessed. We are lucky people really, we have an amazing guardian angel.
Mayou, Laurence, Anne, Alexia, Joe, Anna, Catherine, Lila, Tim, Sarah, David, Li and three more people that I don’t know the names, helped me to put dreams and hearts into the dolls. On Saturday I ran out of dreams but on Sunday there were plenty of them as people brought me their pillows. We made 15 dolls.
Some comments:
‘This is the last thing I ever imagined I would be doing this weekend and I am quite enjoying it’
‘After having my heart broken last year, it was so helpful and special to share time with you and to go through the process of fitting a body with dreams and a new heart. Thank you’
and then he gave me the piece of paper where he wrote that and said ‘I am going home now, I’ve found what I was looking for, this is all I needed, thank you’
Ohhhh such a great guy, an opera singer, the first opera singer who helped me to make my dolls. We spent some time together and it was absolutely adorable.
I feel happy, honoured and blessed. Thank you Phelim and Sarah and Susie and Rachel and all the mystery that brought all of us together once more, I love you.
Come along to the ‘Dreams and A Heart’ Workshop and help Regina Mendes put hearts into the dolls, enjoy a little bit of sewing and some good conversations.
In 2011, Regina Mendes came up with the idea of the ‘Dreams and A Heart’ project, making one doll that represents each one of us in the world.
“More than an idea it was a deep feeling of ‘I must do it’! Although I have never sewed in my life I bought a little sewing machine and learnt how to make them. It was then that I realised it would be quite difficult to reach a target of 7 billion! So, with my feet back on the ground, I started cutting the zeros. I thought 70 was too few so I added one more zero -700- it is a lot but possible. I would not be making one doll to one person but a percentage that would represent each continent.
Each doll is roughly the same size and colour, the colour of our bones, suggesting that we are all the same regardless of our little differences. They are all stuffed with the filling from old pillows which are full of dreams and each one has a heart.” Regina Mendes
The ‘Dreams And a Heart’ project claims to be helping this suffering world to become happier, healthier and more just.
Further Details
Date and Time
27th February 06:00pm to 10:00pm
27th March 06:00pm to 10:00pm
Address
Top of The Avenue, Muswell Hill
London
N10 2QE
See more at DREAMS AND A HEART
Venue: CUFOS Community Centre
Categories: Workshop
Mari, Tim and Tabada came to the workshop on Friday 27th February 2015 at Cufos. I sewed 34 dolls and we together turned all of them inside out. We filled up 11 with dreams, we put hearts into 3 and we meditated feeling our own heart beats. Tabada brought her pillow full of her dreams! Thank you so much! I love to know that we are going to meet again in March.
We spent the last weekend, 24 – 25 January 2015 at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London at another fantastic D&D event.
I asked people to help me to put hearts into 77 dolls and we would complete together the entire community of 700 dolls this weekend.
Many people came to help and I have got some of the names: Giulia, Viv, Li, Ellie, Ellis, Shani, Minna, Chloe, Lekan, Ruth, Catherine, James, Dean, Beatie, Giselle, Ayesha, James, Lorraine, Stella, Anna, Jennifer, Michela, Paul, David, Liberty, Cindy, Emma, Daniel, Elspeth, Kitty, Liz, Theo, Anna, Nick, Alexandra, Rosanna, Lucy, Arne, Catherine, Anne, Jessica, Wendy, Karen, Susie and Sarah.
And I am happy to announce
YES! We have made it!
700 dolls completed in the same space I arrived in 2012, 3 years ago, with just 7 dolls and shared the project with everybody.
Can you imagine how grateful I am to D&D people?
When I announced at the end of Sunday at the big circle “I am happy to announce…’ I didn’t need to complete my words, everybody clapped and screamed for many minutes cheering our achievement.
I told them that this is an International D&D and 77 dolls represent Europe which is 11% of the world population. I also emphasize that the most special thing would be to come along and have a little rest, a quiet moment to connect with our own hearts, feel inspired and recharged by the experience.
We worked non stop the entire weekend. It was wonderful to see so many keen to help. Some people were disappointed when they arrived and there were no dolls left.
We put hearts into the dolls and everyone made a meditation connecting with their own heartbeat and breath.The meditation time was different for each person, some stayed for one minute and others up to 15 minutes.
We made 28 dolls on Saturday and 49 on Sunday.
Some comments:
‘700 dolls – 77 dolls left – 7, just one step to infinite’
‘Filling ‘my’ doll with a healed heart and a soul made of dreams, that was what I looked for to feel good. In this first day of ‘first times’, I was a bit confused and while I was wondering around looking for what would have made me more comfortable, I met Regina’s eyes and hearts and dreams…and all that I needed was there. Thank you for this opportunity to make dreams come true, to bring my dolls to life, to make space and time to share and make beauty ( which for me it is life expressing itself at its best = love) together. Words can’t describe it but presence does. Keep bringing dreams to life!’
‘I think the dolls look happy. It was good to remember that I have a breath and heartbeat and that it takes a moment of thought to straighten out a heart sometimes. Thank you!’
‘I realize how grateful I am that you provide space for this at D&D. Everyone around us is having intense and intellectual conversations and lots of brains are buzzing with lots of thoughts. And this experience allows space to come back to our hearts and our peace. It creates space. I didn’t know I needed some peace and quiet until I arrived here but now I understand that it is an essential part – a necessary part – of this weekend. Thank you for creating this for us!’
‘At first my thoughts were busy and conflicting ‘ there’s so much to concentrate on…’ but then I sat for a while and thought ‘I have breath, I have a beating heart and I have dreams.’ I then felt the beating pulse in the thumb covering my doll’s heart starts beating too. He came alive and had a life of his own. Maybe that’s all there is to create life then. Breath, a beating heart and dreams.’
‘As I held my doll and sewed up the leg I felt suddenly very much at peace and starting thinking of my mother… she is like so many people out there, I feel has suffered so much in her life but still radiates such an enormous amount of love, and …endless fight, both aspects come hand in hand in life. My hand as I held my doll’s heart felt very warm, whilst really I am/was quite cold on this room. What a lovely, peaceful moment!’
‘I learnt to start from the heart first and then the dreams. Connecting myself to silence was quite hard, it would take me a bit of practice.’
‘There is a tiny, cluttered corridor with dolls hanging on its walls. As you walk the corridor, as the floor creaks with tiny, cluttered thoughts, make sure to greet the dolls. they wish you well as you walk out into the world.’
‘A profound, healing and hopeful thing to do, thank you Regina.’
‘A strange but soothing ritual. unexpectedly just what I wanted to do’.
‘These dolls have become an anchor and a marker on a very personal journey for me. I love checking in with them each year and making a little person full of my new learnings.’
‘Thank you for giving me the chance to meditate.’
‘Peaceful engagement, reflection and calm.’
‘A moment to centre my attention on the present and to give my effort to a warm and generous project.’
‘A humble reminder that life shot a rat race where every individual is out for themselves but that we are surrounded by people with dreams and hopes.’
‘One of the most heart-healing experiences of my life… helping Regina realize this wonderful project. Trust your dreams and let your heart smile, for once (twice, 700 times…)’
‘Last year I had just lost my mother to cancer. I made 3 dolls: one fore me, one for my mother and one for my father( who passed away 10 years ago). This year a friend lost both his parents and I made two dolls for each of them, to carry their love and values to the world. Thank you for this opportunity to meditate and reflect.’
‘This time last year I came and I made three dolls. This year I came back with a challenge : four dolls! two in the mornings and two in the afternoons. it was wonderful giving my time to reflect on past conversations from the day. 700 done! well done! Good luck with your future with the dolls! All my love.’
’Thank you Regina for this grounding and attentive experience. I made the 699th doll the penultimate doll on Sunday 25 January 2015. It was a very great and engaging activity with such care. thank you for including me. I particularly enjoyed taking the time to inject my heart beat into my doll and filling it with the dreams of others – beautiful metaphor! I will tell other people about this so please keep doing it and bring this experience to others. Thank you!’
‘This is my first time at D&D and the first thing that excited me was the invitation to make a doll. I decided to save it till the end. I was the 77th and 700th doll! I found this wonderful experience. I felt very committed to and invested in the simple doll. I cared for the doll and I want to make sure that I know what happens and how this can become an exhibition. the final meditation and connection with my own heart was grounding. I did this with a fellow Canadian. Everyone who made a doll seems to care a lot about the work. Thank you for doing this. exciting work.’
‘A project pulsing with peace and love. I am happy I made a doll.’
‘Lovely and relaxing experience. Love my doll!’
‘Hugely moving moment for me, making one of Regina’s dolls, sending a meditation to my surgeon for next Sat’s surgery.’
‘Having a break from talking, sewing with Regina – so beautiful!’
‘Transformative experience and a brilliant end to my dandd10 weekend.’
Thank You So Much Everybody!
That is why I make the dolls, I love you, I am so glad there is tomorrow and we will be together again.
See you this Friday when we will start the next community of 700 dolls.
Last Thursday 18 December 2014 we met in another D&D event at Ovalhouse in London UK to thanks 2014 and to ask where do we go from here?
We had great conversations about creativity, who we are and how was 2014 for us. While we were talking we sewed six dolls. I sewed five and Sarah put a heart into a doll, did a short meditation with her own heart and perfectly finished it, she told me she used to sew costumes before. She took these beautiful photos of ‘our six friends’ celebrating Christmas with us.
I had an image about the dolls. They are our base layer. On top of the base layer we will add a first layer, a second, a third, a fourth and so on until we reach a beautiful out layer. I look forward seeing the next layers, and there will be many as it can be very cold outside!
When you look at the doll you will think ‘this is my body’. Well I realised this is your base layer, your body is pure dream. I will keep making the dolls and I will keep asking you to help me making them for us to be warm and safe.
I want to thank you everybody for have inspired me with your amazing dreams and hearts so far so much for the last five years. I am specially grateful to D&D people who are responsible for holding the space for us, such generosity is priceless, thank you amazing improbable people, I love you!
