SHIFT
Funded by an Arts Council England National Lottery Grant, Cole & Joslin sought to find people to work with them to explore the idea of 'shift', partnering with Brighton Women's Centre and Phoenix Art Space.
A group of twelve people met regularly to explore what 'shift' meant to them, using a studio space to draw, write, sing, make prints, photographs, video and performance. The process was been speculative and responsive, with the images and conversations informing what happened each week. Work-in-progress was then presented for themselves and the public, in the Project Space in March 2023.
Working creatively in this way, forming a collective and testing ideas amongst ourselves, the project has been enormously affecting for those involved. Participants have spoken about re-connecting with play and their sense of joy, learning to speak up with more confidence, being surprised by what they can achieve and produce, and making new friends. Concurrent to these weekly sessions, Cole & Joslin developed work alongside, noting their process and progress on Instagram and on an A-N Blog.
The success of the project led to an invitation to be part of the Community Takeover in September 2023, with Cole & Joslin recieving support from BWC and Phoenix to continue to work with the group on a monthly basis to develop and refine the work for this exhibition.
Cheeta, by Leila
Collective collage
Time Zone, by Cindy
Not Mine, by Lee