Author Archives: Heather

UNION: a participatory exhibition of real-world responses to the referendum

UNION, a participatory exhibition of real-world responses to the referendum

PRIVATE VIEW :
Thursday 16th June 6-9pm

OPENING TIMES:
Friday 17th June 1-7pm
Saturday 18th June 1-7pm
Sunday 19th June 1-7pm

An impartial exploration of the issues surrounding the upcoming referendum. Practitioners from the fields of art, law, and music have come together to create a space for public debate at the Synergy Centre, Brighton.

Utilising a diverse range of mediums, including sound, text, film and performance, you are invited to share your opinions and have your preconceptions challenged in advance of the vote. The exhibition will represent arguments on both sides of the debate, and you are encouraged to contribute your own ideas, knowledge, and concerns, in a supportive and non-judgemental environment.

Fact-based information will be provided by our resident experts, and an evolving, participatory “ideas-board” will be constantly updated with responses and rationales for the arguments, regulations and laws that affect you most.

This event is completely free, and refreshments will be provided. You are invited to pop in at any point to discover, discuss, debate and contribute. Whether you know next to nothing about the referendum, are “in”, “out” or unsure, come and join us in an impartial, accessible, open, and scare-tactic free exploration of the issues at hand – make your voice count!

PLEASE ADD YOUR QUESTIONS, OPINIONS AND RESPONSES ON THE EU TO THE FACEBOOK WALL, OR TO THE EXHIBITION WEBSITE:

http://unioneu.tumblr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/events/568464630004807/

www.magneticideals.org

Unionising the Future: Trade Unions and Students’ Unions Working Together

Marketisation in the UK education system risks reducing equality and social responsibility within the UK Education system. The Green Paper on Higher Education is pushing the agenda of marketisation further, and questions the transparency and accountability of Students’ Unions in the context of the recently proposed reforms to Trade Unions. Workers’ rights are being eroded, and some may argue that traditional structures of Trade Unions and Students’ Unions have become at best ineffectual in resisting, and at worst complicit in governmental plans.

However, the National Union of Students and the Trade Union Congress have stated they will jointly campaign under a “shared vision of a society based on the principles of social justice where all people have access to quality education, decent jobs and individual and collective rights at work” drawing a horizon of hope, knowing that we are stronger together.

The Unionising the Future project looks to understand and bolster local relationships between Students’ Unions and Trade Unions. We are looking to provide research and resources in this area, working with Students’ Union and Trade Union representatives to share experiences, map activity and bring people together to discuss the future.

Some practical things we are looking at doing include:Providing a guide for Students’ Unions about Trade Unions their working students can join with details on costs and benefits. Sharing Case Studies on successful joint campaigns. Trying to understand that this is not always an easy relationship, and bringing people together to discuss why this is, and ways we can overcome it. Providing training and resources for both Trade Unions and Students’ Unions on joint working….

…. interested?

How you can get involved:

Join our steering committee

If you would like to be involved in the shaping of this project, provide input to the materials developed, get your union involved, or develop ideas for what can happen in the future please email your details to unionfuture@magneticideals.org we’ll be in touch soon. Staff, officers, students and trade union reps are all welcome.

Submit a case study

The unions we have spoken have indicated that it would be great to hear more about what other unions are doing, how Students’ Unions and Trade Unions are working together locally and how you can overcome difficult challenges. We know that different Students’ Unions are in very different places with their relationships with local Trade Unions, but we also know that some of the great work that is happening needs to be shared across the network to inspire people. If you have a story to tell about a campaign, direct action, a policy win or just a great working relationship please drop us an email to unionfuture@magneticideals.org make sure you include any weblinks to news stories or blog posts about the work you have been doing!

Complete our survey

This survey is based on conversations we have had so far with Student Officers and Trade Union reps. As with all surveys it is a blunt tool, but will provide the starting point for future research. Please can you complete and send the link to staff members, officers and trade union reps within your union! Complete the Survey.

About Magnetic Ideals: We are a collective of researchers and artists in Brighton working to find and fund projects for social good. Many of us have, or do, work in or with Students’ Unions. We have provided activism, leadership and liberation training for students’ unions, supported homeless artists to get their work exhibited, helped establish a community organisation providing circus skills for the disabled, worked with YMCA to help improve how young people get involved in their governance structures, as well as on research with critically evaluating community engagement by students… now we are Unionising the Future!

More Information about the Project: The initial stage of the project is funded by a Seedbed Research Funding Grant. Full details of the aims and objectives of the project are available on our website: http://wp.me/P5Bqx4-4a The second part of this project will be run as a three year research project through University of Sussex Law School.

Deaf and Disabled Aerial Circus Training Course & Adapted Yoga

No Holds Barred

Run by us, for us. Come join the Adventure!

All sessions run from 11:30am – 2:45pm at the Hangleton Community Centre – we have limited spaces available so will let you know as soon as possible which sessions you are able to attend:

March 9th, 16th, 23rd March
April 13th, 20th, 27th
May 11th, 18th, 25th

Please note this will not run on the 30th March or on the 6th April

Return this form to joinnoholdsbarred@gmail.com to reserve your place.

If you are interested in volunteering at one of these events as a Circus Skills Volunteer or aWorkshop Volunteer please complete this form and return to joinnoholdsbarred@gmail.com

For further information on any of the above please contact joinnoholdsbarred@gmail.com or 07788236151

1st NHB project 5000 flyer poster

Exhibition: Nesting – A Sense of Home

Onca Gallery 6th January – 24th January, Private View: Friday 8th January 7.30pm – 9.00pm

What does ‘home’ mean? How do we ‘nest’ and what happens when our ability to nest is compromised?

In January 2016, environmental artist Jill Parsons will be exploring these questions, working with those in temporary or impermanent accommodation, travellers and the homeless. Together they will create a forest of fragile ceramic nests downstairs at the ONCA Gallery. Each nest will be made by a participant, and as they work, they will share their story to create a soundtrack weaving together tales of home; homes lost, homes loved and homes created from nothing.

Meanwhile in the main space, artist and activist Ellen Mulcrone will be working primarily with willow and found objects from around Brighton, weaving together a human-sized nest-like space for people to enter and contemplate the concept of home, and what that means for them. Displayed within will be a variety of people’s stories telling their relationship with home.

The exhibit will also feature work from artistsat local charity Just Life, who have attended workshops with Inclusive Artist Layla Hignell-Tully and Arts Researcher Heather McKnight from Magnetic Ideals. These pieces will explore the themes of what home means and what it means to feel out of place.

What Is Home? from Ell En on Vimeo.

Directions and Opening Hours

Ellen Mulcrone weaves together a human-sized nest-like space for people to enter and contemplate the concept of home…

Feminist Bodies Now! Call for papers

CALL FOR PAPERS

‘Feminist Bodies Now! an intersectional corpus,’ is a study of how bodies are contesting gender oppression, and the further possibilities for resistance. It will explore how far corporeal feminism has come, thinking about race, sexuality, disability, binaries and class in new ways, and ask how far feminism still has to go.

Feminist Bodies Now! is a symposium which will happen in Central London on Saturday the 9th of April 2016. It will be innovative with a strong emphasis on sub-culture and pop culture; bodies that break binaries and play with gender performance. Papers already confirmed include; the crossings and dwellings of the trans body, the disabled body in resistance, roller derby as a queer trans-feminism and Niki Minaj as a feminist body.

Papers from the symposium will be collated and published in book form.

Feminist Bodies Now! will situate real bodies within philosophical feminist discourses. Contributions are encouraged to be accessible for a wider audience, but have a strong theoretical framework, and think about current and relevant bodies through an exciting academic lens.

Other ideas for papers might include theoretical analyses of any subculture in which you are involved; or discussions of how women are subverting mainstream institutions from within.

Presentations should be in English, and will be allocated 20 minutes each, plus 10 minutes for discussion. Prospective participants are invited to submit abstracts of 200-250 words in Word. Proposals must include name, institutional affiliation (if relevant), a short bio (no more than 100 words) and an e-mail address. Abstracts should be sent to Sian.Bride1@winchester.ac.uk by the 15th of January 2016.

https://feministbodiesnow.wordpress.com/

Research Project: Unionising the Future

Never has the relationship between our Students’ Unions and Trade Unions been more important. With the recent Trade Union bill aiming to remove the potency of the organisation who are there to defend workers rights, and the Green Paper on Higher Education contextualising Students’ Unions in light of this, we can only expect the situation to get worse with regards to the organisation put in place to defend our rights.

Magnetic Ideals are working on a research project in collaboration with Students’ Unions, National Union of Students and Trade Unions Congress that will look at the current activities happening between Trade and Students’ unions and how they will work together in the future.

We are interested in case studies of how this has happened locally, and interest from any Students’ Unions or Trade Unions in helping us construct a survey on this topic that will help us better understand the current climate of joint working between these different groups and how they can work together better in the future.

If you are interested in being involved please contact heather@magneticideals.org

Further information on the project aims, objectives and timescales available here.

Nesting: An Art Project about Temporary Accommodation and Homelessness Looking for Your Support

The following text is from Jill’s Kickstarter page, you can watch the video online here.

I am an Environmental Artist and I am looking for match funding for a project called ‘Nesting, a sense of home.’ I want to work with people who are living in temporary accommodation or impermanent or movable dwellings to explore our human desire to nest. We will work together to create an installation for the ONCA gallery in Brighton.

This will take the form of a forest environment in which I will suspend fragile ceramic nests made by participants. As they work, participants will be invited to share their stories around nesting.These will be recorded as a sound track, different voices overlapping, telling their stories and sharing their ideas.

I want to facilitate a conversation between these groups and the wider community around the subject – What does ‘home’ mean and how do we ‘nest?’ I also want to empower participants through telling their stories, having their voices heard and through collaborating to create something beautiful together.

This is a subject that is very close to my heart. I have had nine homes in the last ten years interspersed with periods of sofa surfing. There is very little security for those renting, or living on the edge – especially if you have a low income.

This project was inspired by the loss of my last home, a caravan which burnt down one cold February night. Despite this loss, as soon as I managed to get another caravan, I started to rebuild my home tenaciously recreating that small place of sanctuary I could call my own.

Just as birds will weave their nests with great care despite their vulnerability and the short use they will get, we humans have a need and a desire to nest, even when we have no security or longevity to a home.

In ‘Nesting’ I will work with those in B&Bs, shelters and refuges, as well as with van dwellers and those living in temporary or impermanent spaces to explore this need for home.

I have the support of the Arts Council and the ONCA centre for Arts and Ecology. I also have some fantastic partners including Justlife, Emmaus and the Brighton Unemployed Centre. I just need support funding of £2,000 to make this happen! Please help me to realise this project and to bring together these stories! Thank you so much for reading!

Risks and challenges

I am aware that some participants may be vulnerable or need discretion around their story and I want to ensure that they feel that they are treated with sensitivity and compassion. I also want all those participating to have a sense of ownership of the project. This is about all of us telling our stories and I want that to come across from the start. I am working with Brighton Charities who already support those in insecure accommodation to build trust and to get constant advice and feedback from experienced staff.

Support Jill’s Project on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1359912208/nesting-a-sense-of-home?ref=video

Acting Skills for Life – A Holistic Approach by ZLS Theatre

*** Another local course you might be interested in! ***

The course

This course is fun – lots of fun! Acting skills are also life skills. Through games, activities and exercises you will learn how to unlock your creative side andimprove your communication skills, while at the same time gaining an insight into world of an actor. This course will offer you tools to improve your personal and professional relationships, study skills and self-confidence. Whether you want to take the first step to becoming a professional actor, join the local am-dram society, improve your public speaking or just want to have fun – this course is for you!

No previous experience required.

Surpluses from this course will be used to fund self-confidence and self-esteem workshops for marginalised adults.

Dates

Six Saturdays (11am-1pm)

17th and 24th October 2015
Break for half-term
7th, 14th, 21st, 28th November 2015

Location

Cocoon Healing Arts Centre
20-22 Gloucester Place, Brighton BN1 4AA.

Price

Twelve hours over six Saturdays: £55: Pay online before 30th September 2015 and you can sign up for only £49!

The tutor

Guy Wah is the founder of ZLS Theatre and BrightonActors.co.uk. Having worked in a variety of ‘real-life’ jobs ranging from the repetitive to the ridiculous before training as an actor, he is passionate about using acting skills to help people unlock both their creativity and their self-confidence. Guy is a proud champion of social enterprise in Brighton & Hove.

Further info available here: http://www.zlstheatre.org.uk/workshops/acting-skills-for-life-a-holistic-approach/

Mental Health via Drama, 13th October, Brighton Dome Founders Room

Social Enterprise Theatre Company Production

*** Local Theatre Production About Mental Health, free entry ***

On 13th October at the Brighton Dome, Social Enterprise Theatre, in collaboration with Brighton Housing Trust, will be presenting One in Four – a rehearsed reading devised by people with a lived history of mental health. Three groups of women will be presenting short ten-minute plays about their experiences of mental health, before Des McClean presents a funny and enlightening take on some difficult experiences as a black man in the mental health system in England.

ZLS Theatre founder Guy Wah has been directing Des in his monologue, and is excited by the upcoming performance.

“Des has written a very funny and engaging script detailing some of his very difficult experiences within the mental health system in England. I’m honoured to be able to direct this part of what promises to be an entertaining and enlightening evening of entertainment.”

The performance takes place on Tuesday 13th October in the Founders Room at the Brighton Dome and entry is free, with donations accepted later in the evening.

http://www.socialenterprisetheatre.com/

http://www.zlstheatre.org.uk/

Call for Papers: Autism and Comedy Symposium, Saturday 30th January 2016, University of Kent

*** Thought this might be of interested to some Magnetic Ideals followers and members!

Since its description by Hans Asperger in 1944, it has often been suggested that individuals on the autistic spectrum lack, or have an impaired, sense of humour. This alleged humourlessness has been challenged in recent decades within the academic literature (e.g. Lyons & Fitzgerald 2004, Samson 2013) but it is still a pervasive myth. Moreover, the work of people such as the U.S. comedy troupe Aspergers Are Us and the UK based performer Cian Binchy suggests a strong and distinctive comic voice within the autistic/aspie community. Importantly, these performers use comedy as a mode of self-representation, and thus contrast strikingly with other representations of autism in popular comedy. Both The Big Bang Theory and Derek have been criticised by some for their representation of autistic characters (Sheldon and Derek, respectively) despite the writers’ firm assertions that those characters do not have the condition. In this way, such representations are implicated in questions of authorial intention and the ethics of, to use Kaite O’Reilly’s term, ‘cripping up’. Further questions arise when looking at the use of humour in applied theatre contexts – many drama interventions for autistic children use humour, but there is little research on how much this component contributes to the positive effect of the work.

The organisers of this conference welcome papers on any of the symposium themes with possible topics including, but not limited to, the following:

Autism and humour comprehension/appreciation/production
The ethics of the representation of autistic people in comedy (e.g. The Big Bang Theory, Derek, Community)
Relaxed performances as a method of opening up comic theatre
Disabling humour vs. disability humour and autism
The use of humour in interventions for autistic children
Political humour and the claims of the neurodiversity movement

Please send an abstract of around 300 words, along with a short biography, to Shaun May ats.r.may@kent.ac.uk by Tuesday 1st November 2015

Confirmed invited speakers include Prof. Michael Fitzgerald (TCD), Kelly Hunter (Author of Shakespeare’s Heartbeat: Drama Games for Children with Autism) and Cian Binchy (performer and writer of The Misfit Analysis) with more to be announced.

This symposium is part of BA/Leverhulme funded project, Comedy on the Spectrum: Exploring Humour Production with Adolescents with Autism. For more information about the project visit www.autismandcomedy.com.