As part of my practice, I have engaged in several projects working with different groups. Most recently I have been working with mothers and babies, reflective of my journey as a mother.
Mothers organic arts and storytelling project
In 2022/23 I held a mothers and babies organic crafts and storytelling project as part of my MA in inclusive arts practice research project. I was humbled by those who supported the project. The Brighthelm centre who provided a space for the project to take place, as well as the Whitehawk community food group who generously provided me with a space to hold the allotment sessions, learn about natural crafts and prepare my sessions there and also support me with the groups themselves. I was generously supported by a group of women from different experiences of motherhood who brought themselves to the practice as well as bringing a nurturing sense to the groups by supporting mothers by engaging and holding babies when needed. I was also so grateful to the mothers who attended with their baby daughters, who were up for anything and taught me an incredible amount with their openess and enthusiasm in the groups and with their gracious feedback of the groups.
The project ran for 6 sessions, following a Flexible framework each week:
Introductions and check in
Nature Meditations & Sensory grounding exercises
Story telling prompts with paper and pens to draw and write these’ which plant/element are you?’ or A-Z of self-care
Natural crafts focussing on different sensory experiences, making lavender eye bags, herb binding, natural sensory playdough, making creatures with playdough and woodland items, flower prints, making paint, natural dyes and scrapbooking
Ending each session with a meditation or grounding exercise to close the practice
I supported this practice with a range of exercises that I studied from different texts including;
Arin Murphey-Hiscock, The Green Witch, 2017
Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, The Maternal Journal, 2021.
Jenny Dean, Wild Colour, 2010
Annie Macinctyre, The Herbal Tutor, 2019).
I was asked to respond creatively to this project, to explore the non-verbal and creative knowledge that I acquired and would continue to acquire from this project and the wealth of experience I had gained from the women, craft practices and the environment I had spent time with.
I created an installation which comprised of a range of elements in order to attempt to capture the diverse sensory experience I had encountered during the project.
Nurture
“In some native languages the term for plants translates as ‘those who take care of us’. (Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2020).
‘Nurture’ responds to a storytelling project with mothers and their babies, supported by a wider group of women, using natural crafts, plant dyes and herb binding. Asking the question ‘How can natural materials influence storytelling’, I was struck by how these materials require a sense of trust to lead our journey, appearing to prompt a sense of ‘letting go’ of intention. Instead, stories seemed to emerge through conversation, knowledge sharing, revealing memories. Supported by ritual and meditation, I found myself noticing spontaneous moments of vibration between us as we engaged with the natural environment and materials. An embodied sense of understanding that I felt reverberating beyond the project.
Reflecting on the material led nature of this practice, I created a collection of ‘stories’ told through a range of senses. ‘Nurture’ comprises of 3 elements; a series of naturally dyed fabrics and plant pressings exploring trust in materials, a mobile created spontaneously following a foraging walk with mums and toddlers, and a handmade drum inspired by the powerful vibration we can experience in community. These accompany a collection of 3 ethnographical stories attached to themes emerging from the project, attempting to reflect how plants appeared to stimulate stories through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell and movement. The stories are routed through plants I have interacted with, the tales they invoke for me and how I bring myself to this practice.
