EXPERIENCES

Theatre company Filament is working with Vivo service users and staff from across the borough to record and share conversations about living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project builds on a previous piece of work called The Exchange, carried out by the company when they worked with school children during the first lockdown. As part of this project they presented participants’ stories through a ‘telephone exchange’.

Experiences on Film

Over the past year Filament Projects has worked in partnership with Vivo Care Choices, which provides a range of flexible and responsive support for people with learning disabilities and autism as well as older people. Resulting conversations were recorded and gathered together in audio installation The Exchange. Filmmaker Jason Lock documented the project

Q&A with We Are Filament – Helen Slevin and Sarah Richardson

What’s your background?

Filament Projects is a Cheshire-based, female-led theatre company. Since 2017 we have worked in partnership with schools, local authorities and cultural organisations such as the National Trust to dream up a host of exciting projects, performances and installations. Our work invites people to share their stories and develop their creativity and is shaped by our four core values: Collaboration, Wonder, Care and Learning.

Why did you want to work on this project

We are acutely aware of how COVID-19 impacted on people's lives in different ways. We were interested in this commission as it presents us with a unique opportunity to listen to local people’s individual and collective stories, stories which may previously have been overlooked. We’re excited about working collaboratively with members of the local community and, together, finding ways to share their stories with others.

What are your initial ideas of how it might take shape?

At Filament, we believe the process of working creatively together is as important as the final performance, or in this case installation. Through a series of artist-led workshops, we will invite participants to creatively explore their experience of the pandemic. Conversations between participants as they reflect on these experiences will then be recorded and compiled into The Exchange audio installation which will tour to community venues across the borough during Spring 2023.

What is your reflection on the pandemic?

The pandemic was a time of extreme challenge but also huge learning. Even among all the uncertainty, there were glimmers of hope; communities coming together, organisations finding creative responses to difficult situations, society adjusting to be more inclusive of people’s different needs. Through this project we hope we can capture some of this learning.