Most of my projects are with people and communities: how does this work in a time of lockdown and social distancing? In the last few weeks I have been looking at my current projects and considering how creative engagement work can be done ‘together apart’. I’ve written a little about this as part of my long-term artist residency for Super Slow Way. I’ve also been pleased to have been offered a Response grant from Bradford Metropolitan District Council for a short textile project working with adults who live in the district. The Covid-19 Stitch Journal is a textile project for adults who would like to contribute to a quilt that explores their lived experience of the current crisis. The project will include a number of online workshops via Zoom to discuss our experiences of this and the wellbeing benefits that a collective textile project may offer in times of difficulty. These sessions will offer practical textile ideas as well as an opportunity to have conversations with others about personal experiences and strategies during this period of social distancing. I hope that those involved will be able to meet to stitch together later in the year. The textiles made during the project will be exhibited locally (venue tbc)and as part of an international conference, Cultural Heritage for Mental Health Recovery 2, in Belgium this December. The project will also be part of my ongoing research with The Open University.
UPDATE: This project is now part of a network of organisations, artists, and projects - The Quarantine Quilt Project - across the UK that are producing quilts and textile projects in response to Covid-19 and the changes it has brought to people’s lives. So far, participating projects include ours and projects in Devon, Oxford, Cambridge, London, Essex, West Yorkshire, and Derbyshire. Some are inviting participation from anywhere. The network development is being led by Significant Seams CIC with funding from Arts Council England.