We had another amazing residency season at Omnibus Theatre last month. We worked 8 evenings during three weeks.
I decided to do an experiment. I didn’t introduce myself and invite the audience to make dolls as I usually did before. I wondered what would happen if I was just sat in my corner working on my own. There were some beautiful photos from previous seasons at Omnibus. In the last week we did a mini exhibition of the dolls we’ve just created. Would it be enough to grab people’s attention and inspire them to join me?
I am very pleased to say that quite a few people were curious to ask about the project and some of them decided to make a doll.
Khalida, Andreas, Eva, Oliver, Alex, Wendy, Nelson, Simon, Celine, Lucia, Miranda, Erin, Sarah, Marie, Ilaria, India, Rieko and Noriko were the makers.
We made 40 dolls together – 27 brand new (19 by makers + 8 by myself) + 13 which I finished/ fixed from previous events. Two of the brand new dolls have names – Mauro and Patrick.
A lovely thing happened for the first time – a maker asked me to make a doll for him. He draw it with two long arms down to the floor. He uses crutches. He has multiple sclerosis. I made it exactly the way he asked me. He came back next week to complete his doll. I loved to make a requested doll. I would love to have more requests please!
‘It’s enjoyable to fill a doll of yourself. I like the doll me. Thank you.’
‘People often mistake the world they see on TV or in the media as The World. It is not- it is just a tiny particle of reality. There are so many other realities- you get to choose the one that you want to experience.’
‘I think this is an awesome project, bring the community together and it’s very enjoyable. Thank you Regina!’
‘Making the little stuffed person/doll was very relaxing and mindful, and the conversation and sharing we all had was lovely.’
‘This was a very relaxing and spiritual experience. I really enjoyed working with my hands. It allowed me to connect with what I was doing. I am very proud of my doll and I am excited to see him added to the collection.’
‘I really enjoyed my experience and I think this is a great project.’
‘My favourite part was discovering that my doll and my friend’s doll resembled us in a way- she is much taller than I am and our dolls ended up resembling our heights difference.’
‘I did this with my friend and we chose big and small dolls on accident which is just like us. I am the tall and she is the small- cool! ‘
‘It was very relaxing after being stressed all day- a really great way to end a day of work. I really enjoyed the meditation because it made it feel more personal and like I was giving life to the doll.’
‘It was a great and peaceful activity. I love how sustainable this all is since it’s made from used pillows. I loved it!’
‘This is so metaphorical… you decide what everything means as you go along in the process and you discover/uncover new layers of yourself. Thank you Regina.’
‘During the final meditation I felt the pulse in my wrist flowing blood and life through my thumb into the heart of my doll. Thank you for sharing your vision with the community.’
‘It brought me some good memories making dolls with my daughter when she was little. It was very calming. Thank you.’
Thank you so much lovely Marie who invited us to celebrate their new cafe bar and gave us a cozy corner to work, thank you for all lovely Omnibus team that once more made me feel at home, and a huge thank you to all the adventurous makers who risk themselves to do something different, meet new people and have a lovely time together. I can definitely say that it was a successful experiment! Much love to you all!
