Artist, Coordinator and Arts-based Facilitator for Traumascapes — a survivor-led organisation dedicated to changing the ecosystem of trauma and creating new horizons for survivors through art and science.
The work of this organisation serves trauma survivors (individuals and groups who have been impacted by traumatic experiences such as, but not limited to, interpersonal abuse or systemic violence), persons and communities who support survivors, & professionals, organisations, and institutions who work on trauma and/or with survivors.
I assisted Laura E. Fischer in the organisation of launch event of the organisation in 2022, was trained in trauma-informed practice and supported to facilitate art workshops. I held dedicated spaces for survivors to re-centre themselves during events which touch on difficult subjects and mean the participants may choose to take a break to engage in arts-based activities and express themselves, contribute to the discourse in their own way and return to the open discussions / film projections etc when they choose to. A trained mental health support worker would also be available at all times for anyone involved in the event.
The Survivor Lens: Reframing Trauma Narratives through Filmmaking
A day of screenings, conversation, and reflection on the role of artists’ films in reframing trauma narratives. Survivor artists and activists explore, question, challenge, and reimagine trauma – both individual and collective – and create a space for a new discourse to emerge.
The programme included work from Julie-Yara Atz, Laura E. Fischer, Andrea Luka Zimmerman alongside shorts by Ashley Karrell & Isaac Ouro-Gnao and Julian Triandafyllou and special previews of new films by Mania Akbari and Kamila Kuc.
Read the full programme schedule here.
Curated by Laura E. Fischer (Traumascapes) with Andrea Luka Zimmerman.
Facilitated by Julie-Yara Atz, Sullivan Holderbach, and Jessa Benson Thorpe from Traumascapes.
The ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health Festival 2022: Partnering For Change.
How can communities come together to partner for change?
How are successful research partnerships established? How are they nurtured and strengthened? How can everyone involved in a partnership benefit from collaboration? And how do we know if positive change has actually been achieved? Find out over four days of workshops, poetry, discussion, networking, arts and crafts!
An event inviting researchers, as well as service users, survivors, third sector members, policy makers, and members of the public, to come together to share experiences and discuss how partnerships can be designed to facilitate change.
Through networking, discussion, workshops and creative expression, this exciting event provided opportunities to exchange knowledge and find new ways of working together to better understand the relationships between challenges facing society and mental health.
Activities led by Black Thrive Lambeth, The McPin Foundation, Jack Drum Arts, Thrive LDN, Traumascapes, Survivors Voices and the Service User Research Enterprise, as well as Centre researchers.