Fabiola Santana will host four workshops for up to 5 women who identify as ‘(post) colonial children’ – for those of a diaspora that historically was or currently is experiencing colonial rule.
“My African female elders have brought my family together in moments of nurture, celebration, and mourning. In this spirit, I invite a group of artists to explore our matrilineages, focusing on care and the effects of colonialism on our intergenerational experiences. I started developing this workshop when the pandemic was threatening the lives of our elders worldwide. This workshop’s intention still holds true today.”
Artist in residence Fabiola Santana is seeking up to 5 artists who identify as women and also as ‘(post) colonial children’ to participate in daytime workshops to preserve their voices and cultures. She will be holding sessions to reflect, embody and explore your elders’ importance and how their lives are carried through generations. The sessions can include movement, text and sound, and the group will hold a space for each person to share their found material, witnessed without judgement.
Claire Beerjeraz, a local arts-based psychotherapist, will join the sessions and co-lead some explorations/discussions. With this support and guidance as we (re)discover new ways to tell our stories, participants will experience an environment rooted in artistry with the added resources to reach beyond, into deeper layers of our psyche with safety and insight.
“In these workshops, I want to hold a safe space to openly discuss the impact of trauma and mental health on our female elders, and their resourcefulness. How our bodies hold their legacy and what legacy we want to leave others.”
Dates, times and location
Fabiola will be hosting four closed workshops at Granby Winter Garden, agreed by the her, Claire and the group.
Participants will ideally need to be available to attend all four dates. The day will include time for breaks and refreshments will be provided. After the workshop sessions Fabiola will invite participants to a final meeting to allow for feedback, reflections and closure. This session will be arranged two weeks after the workshops.
How to join
We welcome artists across sound, live art, theatre and dance, and of all ages and experiences. It will be an intimate gathering as this will be a small group.
To apply, get in touch with Fabiola for an informal chat at f.inacio.santana@gmail.com.
If you would like, Fabiola would encourage you to start having a think about drawing a map of your family/ancestors which you can discuss together, but this is not a requirement. If you would like to engage in this creative task, feel free to respond to this however you like. From the map you create, choose an elder or ancestor (a woman preferable, but not compulsory) that you would like to ‘bring’ to the workshop. Tell us why you chose this elder or ancestor, and how it relates to the project.
Along with your email, please include the following
- Your name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Any required access needs. We will do our best to support your participation in the project.
We will close this call out once we have received applications from the voices Fabiola hopes to engage for this project.
Please do not hesitate to contact Fabiola if you are interested but unsure whether you are eligible to apply.
Fabiola will be in touch after the closing date once we have processed all responses. If you need to know sooner, please contact Fabiola. Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified. Numbers are limited for this workshop and we will sadly not be able to accommodate everyone, however Fabiola is happy to connect over the phone or virtual meeting with those we will not be able to host this time.
This project was previously supported by hÅb’s A Divergency micro-commission; LiveArt Development Agency’s DIYin partnership with Museum of London.
