“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation.
Healing is an act of communion.”
- bell hooks
With kinship as the heart of this programme, this is a gathering for dreamers and makers to come together and learn from each other. This is a space to tend our garden of hope for futures of coexistence, freedom and justice for all.
As the wider world is continually filled with violence and oppression which gradually infiltrates our daily lives, it is important to secure brave and safe spaces for fellow practitioners who are working at the intersection of arts, communities and social impacts to come together, learn from each other, grow collectively and dream.
Through this peer-to-peer exchange, we are gathering a group of individuals who are passionate in driving social change through cultural work. As a cohort, we share wisdom, knowledge and experience as a hive with dignity and respect for each other and build a stronger sense of community with love and kinship as key elements, without compromising anyone’s trust, safety and comfort. We see this work to be continued and amplified in the future as a peer network.
We have cruated sessions with the cohort investigating, sharing and working on topics surrounding but not limited to the following themes:
Non-extractive multicultural learning
Safe and brave spaces for all
Imagining regenerative and restorative futures
Ecology and us in capitalist societies
Nature, migration and the queer practices
Trauma-informed art practices
Diversity, diaspora, neuro-safety and borders
Community-centred art-making practices
Rest as resistance - the long game
Liberating healthcare systems
AI, technology and democratic organising
Navigating through systems of funding and organising
Being artists, activists and being okay
We have welcomed over 60 people at our Arts, Communities and Social Impact Peer-to-peer Exchange Programme, situated in the big window studio of the Arcola Theatre. Participants came with non-extractive and collaborative spirits and together held a safe space for experimentation.
We chatted about the cultural strategies we have been using to drive social impact, the ecosystem we are operating in, as well as our dreams for liberated futures for all. We are grateful for all the wisdom, knowledge and generosity brought by everyone. There is love and kindness in the food, air and people.
A snapshot of the Miroboard we created over the 3 weeks with the collective wisdom and lived experiences of our cohorts and extended peers
Situated during Hidden Keileon’s residency at Arcola Theatre through their Pomegranate Project, we are gathering for 9 half-days across three weeks on the afternoons of the following dates:
13, 15, 18, 20, 25-29 March 2024.
FAQs
How did Hidden Keileon get the space?
We applied to Arcola Theatre’s open call for their Pomegranate programme and were awarded the space for a 3-week residency.
What is Hidden Keileon’s intention in running this programme?
We are interested in carving out a special space and time for people who are also working at the intersection of arts, communities and social impacts to come together.
We wish to dedicate this programme to connecting with other dreamers, growing stronger and gently tending our gardens of hope together. We are constantly distracted by deadlines of funding applications, solving logistical challenges, and battling bureaucratic processes. Together, we build new relationships, share wisdom, experience and knowledge, rest so we can grow and celebrate the time of being together.
How are the members of the cohort decided?
The core team of Hidden Keileon will look at every submission of the open call with love, care and respect. We aim to bring in a cohort of people who are aligned with Hidden Keileon’s values in building imagination infrastructures for futures with freedom and justice for all. We are looking at individuals who are yearning to be in kinships that are not transactional, willing to share their wisdom, experience and knowledge, and eager to learn from each other in a non-extractive manner.
How I am expected to show up when I am selected?
Hugely inspired by CIVIC SQUARE and Centric Lab’s Ecological Health In Neighbourhoods Peer to Peer Learning Journey, we see this programme to be an enriching, nourishing and safe experience for everyone in the cohort. We expect everyone to show up as their full and honest selves with great generosity to cultivate an environment for collaborative learning.
We see everyone show up as themselves, their community, and their ecology. We invite everyone to move beyond their professional and academic identity into kinship and community. Showing respect and care for each other as we are genuinely conversing and exchanging on difficult topics, everyone in the cohort shows up without compromising each other’s trust, safety and comfort.
In the form, why do I need to fill in whether I am a migrant or queer person?
As parts of these communities ourselves, Hidden Keileon works closely with migrant and queer people and we would like the cohort to reflect this. This should not stop you from applying if you do not identify as such. However, please keep in mind that we would like to make sure a certain number of places are taken by people from contextually marginalised communities.
What about the ones who submitted the open call but didn’t get in?
We would love to stay in touch with everyone who filled out the form. The team is considering a wider gathering in future. We are also looking at inviting some of the applicants to share mini-lectures with the cohort on specific topics.
If I can only attend half of these sessions, should I still apply?
No. We expect cohort members to only be absent for two sessions maximum. This is to mutually respect everyone’s effort in carving this very special space and time to be with each other.
Is this an art education / mentorship / corporate training / career development programme?
No. This programme is beyond that as we are looking at co-creating a special opportunity to build meaningful allyship with you to dream up futures.
Are the core team members of Hidden Keileon paid to run this programme?
No. We have applied for the National Lottery Awards for All England to support the team running this programme alongside carrying out other R&D projects during the residency but were unsuccessful.
I am a funder/patron who is interested in financially supporting this programme, who should I contact?
We would appreciate any level of financial contribution to make this programme more successful. Please contact us at p2p@hiddenkeileon.art.