What makes you Smile Inside?
We asked iID participants who were shielding during Lockdown, what they think about that makes them smile. Having kindly shared their stories, we invited artists to create an artistic response drawing inspiration from their stories. We then invited their local community, to do the same (Click on a name to see their story and the artwork it inspired). In September we held a celebration and exhibition bringing all the creative responses as well as the Storytellers, artists and community together (see below). We have now started a second phase see our Smile Inside on Tour page.
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You can still inspired by one of the stories below and create a piece of art in response. It could be a painting, sculpture, poem, collage, dance or song. All the creative responses we receive will be given to the person who's story inspired the art work to help put a smile on their faces. When you have finished your art work please photograph or film it and email it to iidconsortium@gmail.com with your name and the name of the person who's story you have responded to so we make sure we get it to the right person.
Here is a pack with all the stories and some ideas
Smile Inside Stories
& All the creative responses we have recieved so far...
Please have a look at Sarita Piotrowski's film development Flour Girl inspired by Pat's Finally Flour story
Commissioned artist Diana Burch has created this beautiful costume for Emily Neighbour to perform in at our celebratory event in Woking on 25th September. She has printed images from all our stories on each scarf. It was wonderful to see it move
The Intergenerational Workshop was clearly enjoyed by all
Celebratory Event & Exhibition
Emily performs her piece inspired by Brenda's story Postman's Surprise, a wedding invitation printed on a tea towel!
Brenda was delighted to meet Diana Burch & Emily Neighbour
Margaret was very moved by all the responses she received and is now writing to them to say thank you. Vera loved her Bird prints and Derek brought the photo from his story to give artist Ellie Contreras who created 2 beautiful black and white prints and tea towels all inspired from his story.
Children from St Lawrence Primary School were pleased to meet the storytellers who had inspired their pictures and to see them framed and displayed alongside the story and professional artists work. They also took part in a workshop using Brenda's story to inspire movement and to see Emily's performance. Our film corner showed all the professional and community dance and spoken word films that were created in responses to the stories including by Dance Creative, Kate Finegan, Marie-Louise Flexen, Matilda Maginnis, 2 by Sarita Piotrowski, Emily Neightbour and Pat Winslow & Peter Anderson.
Smile Inside is a project developed in response to Covid-19 to connect, engage and support iID’s participants and their communities at a time when we could not meet with them or deliver our usual projects or weekly sessions.
We were particularly trying to engage with people who have no access to the internet / any technology and who live on their own. It is based on asking people to share a story with us that makes them smile inside and invite artists and their community to create a response to their story that we can share with them. As soon as social distancing permitted we held an exhibition and celebration, inviting everyone who contributed to come together to meet each other and celebrate the stories and the creativity they had inspired. This project is funded by ACE Emergency Respond Fund