Creative Loss : the blues
Creative Loss Workshop.
December 9th 2023 - 10am-4pm
This is a queer run venue and trans and non binary people are very welcome
A creative workshop in The Beloved House (a magical unique creative space in Liverpool full of art and inspiration) exploring death, dying and bereavement through objects from lost loved ones.
In this workshop we will create a brave welcoming space for you to discuss death, dying and bereavement. This workshop will take the form of active listening, discussions, sharing stories and practical participation creating easy to make beautiful artworks.
When a person dies we can attach meaning to certain objects left behind, they can hold powerful stories and memories.
Bring along to the workshop a small object of significance from a loved one who has died.
We will listen and talk about the stories and memories of your person and the object you have brought along.
We will then learn about the historical cyanotype photographic process, and you will go on to create your own beautiful cyanotype photography artworks incorporating your objects from lost loved ones.
The workshop includes:
• 6 Hour workshop with all creative materials provided to produce artworks
• Hot and cold beverages and snacks will be provided
• Morning session 10-12pm with a break
• Circle and intro
• Story sharing, memories, and objects
• Lunch break includes a gorgeous nourishing home made vegetarian soup and delicious cake
• Afternoon session 1-3 with a break
• Introduction to the juicy magical process of Cyanotype and the historical process
• Practical session, making our beautiful artworks, printing cyanotype photography
• 3-4pm reflection and honouring ourselves and our work in a gorgeous instant exhibition at our divine venue
You will leave the workshop having listened to and having been listened to, and told stories of death, dying a bereavement. A brave space to have the difficult conversations. You will have learned about a new creative technique, with artwork to take home and grief referral support if needed.
This workshop is for any persons at any timeline of grief, months, years, or decades.
This is a creative group session of only five participants, facilitated by Clare Jasmine Beloved and Marianne McGurk.
Marianne McGurk is an award-winning visual artist who works with sculpture and photography with a focus on death, dying a bereavement. Having recently completed a master’s degree in photography, with her thesis exploring how creative processes can be used as a way to process grief and the surrounding trauma.
Facilitating creative loss workshops is a way for Marianne to take her research, practice and experience into the community and share her knowledge of how creativity can be used in the grieving process to help us sit with loss in a positive way. Marianne also holds a CPD in Grief and Bereavement counselling.
www.instagram.com/mariannemcgurk
www.instagram.com/photographyonwellbeing
Clare Jasmine Beloved is an artist poet and creative activist who has been facilitating healing creative spaces for the past 30 years with marginalised communities across the uk and beyond. Her innovative projects and work was funded by the nhs and recognised as having a profound and significant impact on people’s physical and emotional well-being and life. Clare’s wife Sandra died two years ago after a long and harrowing journey through cancer. Clare turned Sandra’s poems and words into a sell out play about love and grief called “a very Liverpool love story” and she is currently writing a book based on her poetry and reflections on Facebook over the last two years. Clare founded the Bad Lesbian Widows Club and is wobbling forward in community telling the truth about grief and making space for others to.
Www.clarebeloved.com
Cyanotype, also known as sun printing, is a 180-year-old photographic printing process. It is a unique and easy process which produces printed patterns and silhouettes onto light sensitive paper. It’s fun, easy and great for experimentation. This workshop is ideal for beginners, no experience is necessary. All materials will be provided.
During the workshop Marianne will introduce you to the basics of the cyanotype printmaking process, see all the necessary tools needed and learn about using natural light or U.V light to achieve different results. On the day we will be using U.V light to contact print with your objects of significance to allow you to create your own cyanotype images.