Holding a space
Ewa Marcinek, creative writing teacher in community projects in Iceland says:
“There is no space for a traditional power relationship between the teacher and the students, when you work with the marginalised.”
While leading a workshop for immigrant women who experienced domestic abuse, Ewa realised how essential is a gentle and encouraging atmosphere of a democratic setting:
“The participants take the courage to face their emotions through writing and share their texts with the rest of the group. I, as an instructor, should take an equal risk in being vulnerable.”
Many of the artists point out that being an Urban Art Educator, it’s not so much about taking up space, as it’s about holding a space for others and exploring how the group leads itself.
“Safe space” refers to places created for marginalised individuals to come together and share their experiences, gatherings where people can feel comfortable and accepted for who they are.
Yet, one needs to remember that, in the words of Juan Camilo Roman Estrada, a Reykjavík-based performing artist and educator:
“Safe space, it’s not about protection, it’s about connection. How you create a connection is more important, in my perspective, than education because we need to begin with what we lack. We lack real connection with people.”
To cultivate connection Juan recommends practising gratitude, griefing, silence, paying attention, active listening, good questioning, and storytelling. The foundation of Urban Arts Education and working with the marginalised is not to assume the participants’ needs or expectations:
“We need to tell stories in order to integrate our understanding about ourselves, but you can’t tell a story if there is no one to catch your story. My role as a pedagogic therapist is to create a space for a learning experience to happen, and I have to be ready enough for if it happens I have to catch it in the air and make something out of it. This is art. This is the challenge. Because otherwise, we are just assuming things.”
URB_ART spoke to Reykjavík based artists and educators Ewa Marcinek and Juan Camilo Roman Estrada. Ewa (www.ewamarcinek.com) is a writer and project manager in diversity projects. She teaches creative writing in community oriented programs. Juan is an intercultural performance practitioner working in different forms of theatre, poetry and cinema. Juan is also an international trainer of Erasmus+ Programme working for Rannís – The Icelandic Centre for Research, and as a pedagogic therapist for Reykjavík City.
Links: Instagram / Juan Camilo Roman Estrada on Vimeo / another Vimeo
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