HOLDING SPACE REFLECTION/CASE STUDY

Reflections from

Gaia Redgrave ,Ellen Davies, Betul Katigo, Steph Shipley AND Kar Rowson

Compiled by Lisa Hudson 04/03/2024.

Overview – Holding Space is a research and development project that asks ‘Is there a need for a caring and supportive space for creative practitioners to feel supported while delivering creative engagements to the public? What would a space like this look and feel like?’

The holding space project was originally conceived by Gaia Redgrave, and this research and development process was undertaken in collaboration with Cysylltu/Connecting project, led by Ellen Davies. Gaia and Ellen were the Project Leads. Both are Neurodiverse artists.

Cysylltu took the form of 5 workshops and 2 public events, focusing on using creative practice to inspire people in recovery from addiction and other mental health issues to: Sound Your Voice-Reconnect-Recover. Each workshop leader was offered a Holding Space session after their workshop delivery to reflect on the workshop and any issues that may have come up.  

The sessions were facilitated by a creative practitioner who is also a qualified psychotherapist, specialising in body work.