Happy to anounce that this month I will facillitate the online course “The artistic field as supportive field” together with my lovely collegue Gesa Piper. The course is part of the International Alumni Network (TIAN) program of Uniarts Helsinki in Finland. I am excited to make a contribution towards a more supportive and nourishing cultural field. Here you can read something about the course:

Peer to peer support as an empowering tool for artistic practise and community

Schedule: 5 sessions on Wednesdays, 6 – 8pm (Finnish time), starting 6.May, until 3.June 

In this series of 5 online sessions we explore what it means to be an artist in the context of the contemporary art scene. The method of investigation is the use of peer to peer support, a system in which individuals with relatable experiences and challenges provide mutual support, reflection, and inspiration to one another. Through individual reflection, parallel working, shared timeframes, and non-hierarchical exchange, we create a fertile working ground. By reflecting together, we identify resources within the group that can support both individual and collective development. 

The peer-to-peer format encourages participants to learn from each other as colleagues and co-humans, while also challenging myths and dogmas surrounding artistic practice.

Each session has its own theme.

1.  Identify your values
2.  Letting your own values incorporate into your artistic practice despite lurking dogmas
3.  Mapping out needs & resources of our group and build towards collective support
4.  Developing co-building strategies to nurture your personal values into the collective field 
5.  Practice hub: try out what you have learned

Looking forward to spend time with my creative co-humans!

English below

Vorige week was ik in het zonnige Lleida in Catalonië om in samenwerking met Joan Escrivà-Escolà en zijn leerlingen een taal-portret te maken. Joan Esc is bezig met zijn PhD in linguïstiek en onderzoekt hoe het is om op te groeien met meerdere talen. Op de middelbare school Ronda zitten veel leerlingen met een multi-linguïstische achtergrond. Samen met de leerlingen wilden wij onderzoeken welke talen waar in het lichaam huizen. Dit deden wij door het maken van een taal-portret. De leerlingen krijgen een contour van een lichaam en konden middels lijnen uitdrukken hoe een taal voor hun voelt en waar deze taal in het lichaam ervaren wordt. Wat voor lijn past er bij welke taal? Zijn sommige talen moeilijker dan andere? En zijn er talen waar je trots op bent, waar je je gevoelens mee uit of waar je je juist voor schaamt? De leerlingen hebben hard gewerkt en er zijn zeer verschillende resultaten uitgekomen. Ik ben super trots op het harde werk en hun openheid!

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Last week I was in sunny Lleida, Catalonia, to create language portraits in collaboration with Joan Escrivà-Escolà and his pupils. Joan is working on his PhD in linguistics and is researching what it is like to grow up speaking multiple languages. At Ronda secondary school, there are many pupils with a multilingual background. Together with the pupils, we wanted to explore which languages reside where in the body. We did this by creating a language portrait.The pupils were given the outline of a body and could use lines to express how a particular language feels to them and where in the body they experience that language. What kind of line suits which language? Are some languages more difficult than others? And are there languages you are proud of, use to express your feelings, or are actually ashamed of? The pupils worked hard and the results were very varied. I am incredibly proud of the pupils’ hard work and openness!