“The things we carry: Mapping bodies, mapping spaces” workshops explore the intricate relationship between public space, material culture, and how they shape our bodies and identities. Together we will investigate the dynamic interplay between body and place, focusing on how environments and physical objects influence our mental states and emotions, while also examining the ways human presence transforms spaces over time.
Through guided exercises and discussions, we will dive into the personal and emotional dimensions of space. How do we navigate between private and public realms? How quickly do we adapt to new spaces, and what do we carry with us from previous environments? What role do material objects play in shaping our connection to ourselves and our surroundings?
The workshop’s aim is twofold: to develop a conscious understanding of our bodies as evolving instruments in constant dialogue with the spaces we occupy, and to reflect on how much the objects around us influence that process.
Open to artists, community members, researchers, movers, and anyone intrigued by the intersections of body, space, and identity; this is an exploration of body geographies and the power of embodiment within the environments we inhabit. Using creative mediums like photography, visual arts, movement and others, we will explore and create together.
No prior experience is needed—just an open mind and a willingness to experiment and share. The workshop is shaped by the diverse contributions of its participants, so while previous creative, research or movement experience is not required, it is welcomed. Participants will explore connections between their bodies, personal objects, and spaces, documenting their reflections through the mediums of their choice.
Participants’ work from the workshop will be featured in an exhibition at Deptford Lounge, highlighting the creative research conducted together throughout the month of November.
“Bodies of Things” is a multidisciplinary installation show inspired by the participatory workshop “The things we carry: Mapping bodies, mapping spaces” . It blends the artist’s auto ethnographic exploration with the creative outputs generated by workshop participants. The exhibition will run after the workshops from the 15th-30th November, with a chance to meet the artist on the 16th November.
Raisa is a researcher, curator, and transdisciplinary artist from Athens, Greece, currently living between London and Berlin. Her creative research, but also curatorial work, tends to centre around ideas of place, belonging, nostalgia, dislocation and the exploration of those through material culture with particular interests in object-centred research, and embodiment. She has curated & participated in several shows internationally, and she is the founder of ASTRO, a creative archive and research collective whose work is centred around and is focused on exploring the concept of home.