Skaped’s Artivism Festival took place yesterday at St. Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green, and I am truly impressed by how deeply it moved me.

I initially applied to be part of the Steering Group as a way to meet new people, network with other organizations that are interesting in community projects, and improve my project. My responsibilities included overseeing the creative workshops and assisting with some logistical tasks. We arrived at the office at 9:00 AM, headed to St. Margaret’s House at 10:00 AM with all the materials ready to set up and finished at 10:00PM after the panel, performances and workshops!

The first creative workshop we organized was hosted by Nadina, a French artist who focuses on anti-racist art. Her workshop centered around creating anti-racist posters, and I had the opportunity to assist her while she guided the participants. I felt really comfortable in this role.

The second workshop was one that I co-facilitated with Asma from the East End Women’s Museum and Khaos. Reflecting on my experience from Unit 2, I noticed that collaboration brought up some complex feelings for me. Since I was part of the Skaped team, I had to align with the Creative Director’s vision, which meant I didn’t have complete creative freedom. While collaborating with Khaos and Asma, I was the one who proposed the topic and developed the collage ideas, and I felt that their involvement was more an strategic decition to ensure inclusivity To be honest, this annoyed me a bit because at the begginning I wasnt’ sure about collaborating when I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do for the workshop.

During the workshop, more people showed up than we had anticipated, so we had to squeeze everyone in! It was a lovely success—participants discussed gender norms and used collage as a medium to express how these norms impact their lives. Interestingly, the group included just as many men as women, which struck me because my projects have typically focused on women. This made me realize that the project could be even broader in scope.

Participants expressed how deeply these topics resonate with them, sharing feelings of anger but also recognizing the beauty in collective power and the sense of not being alone. This is something I want to emphasize in my own project—not just the weight of how difficult things can be, but also the joy in small moments. There was even a participant who cried during the workshop.

Facilitating this workshop taught me that I am capable of leading these kinds of projects on my own, but it also showed me the power of collaboration—how much can be gained from exchanging perspectives and embracing collective care.

Collaborating with Skaped, as with any organization, has its pros and cons. On the positive side, it provided a platform to reach a wider audience, introduced me to incredible people who are passionate about art and activism, and allowed me to have meaningful conversations with other organizations, such as members of the Vagina Museum. I even got to share ideas with the artist Yaa Yeboah Newton, she owns a beautiful project called Our Naked Bodies, which was incredibly inspiring. There was also a panel discussion with artivists that I found particularly enlightening. Additionally, Skaped covered all the workshop materials and even compensated me financially.

Building a network through work and projects is indeed crucial, and I’m slowly constructing a community of people who share my interests. I shared my project with my new friends, and they’re very interested in becoming user testers.

I left the festival feeling deeply inspired because it was the first time someone referred to me as an artist! This is something that had never happened before, and it made me feel like I am finally finding the spaces where I belong.

In the picture: My friends from Skape!