On May 24, together with Madelinde Hageman I gave the workshop ‘Soft Activism – small sorrow’ as part of the Master in Art Education AHK alumni day in response to the book ‘Radical Justice’ written by human rights lawyer Nani Jansen Reventlow. Nani advises to take action. Our workshop tied in nicely with this with the question: can activism also arise from personal sorrow?
Participants were given a piece of textile as a starting point and told their story: the pain, the disappointment, the mistake, the despondency. Then all duos were challenged to radically visualize each other’s issue by shedding light on it in an original way. The design process was supported with materials [ wood, paint, buttons, wire, feathers, etc.] and after an two hours the ‘small sorrow’ transformed into larger, current social issues.
‘Soft Activism – small sorrow’ was a successful pilot in which openly expressing your concerns resulted in 16 outcomes that symbolize hope & action. We all need various forms of justice within our own context. That is why we want to offer this workshop to organizations that are curious about initiating radical imagination. Send a message and we will get your head and hands moving! Photos: Kim Krijnen
