Weaving Voices as threads of community
2022 – 2024
Funded by the European Union through the ERASMUS + program, this project runs over a period of two years. The very first work session took place in Malérargues and the teaching team representing the Roy Hart Voice Centre (Carol Mendelsohn, Saule Ryan and Laurent Stéphan) lauched the dynamic by facilitating a working atmosphere conducive to everyone getting involved and giving the best of him/her/their self. The participants attested unanimously to a successful week’s work and to feeling enriched by this human, bodily, and vocal experience, with a strong desire to meet again and collaborate.
Weaving Voices as threads of Communities is an Erasmus+ European Partnership that consists of seven partners:
• Centre Artistique International Roy Hart, France
• Colaborative Reichenow e.V., Germany
• Leeds Beckett University – Performing Arts, UK
• Sinum Theatre Laboratory Association, Hungary
• Soharóza Nonprofit Association,Hungary
• Solsidans Kulturförening – Studio Folkhemmet I Unnaryd, Sweden
• TuYo Foundation, Netherlands
Our focus within informal adult education is to introduce practical workshops in a range of different creative practices or channels. We believe that when people connect through these different practices – voice, weaving, movement, writing, and environmental work – they meet, see, and hear each other in new and extraordinary ways. When safe spaces are created trust evolves, beyond the limitations of language.
“Carol, Laurent and Saule created a great safe space in which to explore; they seem to tailor their teachings on the individual and group needs in the moment. I definitely got inspired!”
During the first stage of the project, the international partners are invited to share their expert practices, methodologies, and approaches to search for connections between and across the fields of research, which are often experimental and emergent in nature.
“I was fascinated by how the teachers dealt with the different personalities in the group and found ways to tap into their particular needs, wants, desires, and limitations.”
Practices and lineages explored on this project include: the vocal heritage of the Roy Hart Theatre, weaving, the traditions of the Swedish herding call (kulning), Georgian polyphonic singing, Feldenkrais Awareness through Movement, creative writing, vision quests, and perceptual practice.
“I definitely will use some of the games and exercises I’ve learnt at this workshop and I’m very happy that another part of the world revealed itself to me.”
In the second phase of the project these activities and the collaborative research are opened up to interactions and knowledge exchange with geographically marginalised local communities in a range of workshops, walks, and exhibition settings. You can find us in the small villages of Baranya county (Hungary), in the forests near Unnaryd (Sweden), the suburbs of Leeds (UK), and local communities in Amsterdam (Netherlands).
“Really interesting peers and I loved everyone’s enthusiasm: very contagious!”
Follow the upcoming activities and the Weaving Voices Project Results on our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram or via our partners’ websites!
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.