Interview with Puck Van Der Werf - Workshop Participant @ Epic Arts

Puck Van Der Werf - Workshop Participant @ Epic Arts

Interview, Thoughts and Comments

Epic Arts is an inclusive arts organisation. After working with Epic Encounters through a movement workshop, how would you describe inclusive arts?

I would say that Epic Arts is an organisation that works equally with people who are disabled and also non-disabled people. The group we worked with was a mixture of people with and without disabilities who were Cambodian and they worked with us, who were none disabled and not from Cambodia. There was real mix of people, cultures and languages all working together, inspiring new ideas, sharing them, changing them and then creating something new.

Can you explain your experience of the workshop?

When we first started the workshop I could see that everyone in the Epic Encounters teaching group was on an equal level, those with disabilities led activities and so did those without. There wasn't a division, or a sense of one group leading and others following, they were all capable of leading activities for us. During the activities, it was amazing to see the communication happening, if someone who was deaf was leading then someone would translate in to Khmer and this was then translated in to English for us, it was very fluid. I also liked the way that each person in the teaching group played a part in the workshops, they each led an activity during the session or gave visual examples, so there wasn't just one teacher, but a group or team of teachers.

It was very clear to see throughout the workshop that everyone was on the same level; there was no sense that those without disabilities were 'helping' those with disabilities. In the same sense it wasn't focused on giving those with disabilities the main role either, as this could have be excluding to those without disabilities. I liked how no one was more important than another and no one had a bigger role in the leading of the workshops, it was inclusive in the ‘way’ that we were taught, not just ‘what’ we were taught. There was no 'special treatment' of people in the group, as this would have created a sense of inequality.

“….it seems to me that the use of the arts as a vehicle for communicating the inclusive message is extremely effective.”

I had so much fun during the workshop! I really enjoyed how the workshop was delivered in a circle, there wasn't someone at the front of the class, we were all facing in so we were all included and could all take part. All our group were a little shy at first and stood next to each others in the group that they knew, but soon all the members of the Epic Encounters workshop team were distributed between us laughing and smiling and everyone was mixed together smiling at each other and not so afraid anymore.

I loved the mini sign lesson at the start of the workshop; we learnt just 5 simple words such as 'I understand' and 'happy' and 'How are you?'. These were great to learn as it helped us feel part of the group and I felt a little more confident to communicate with the people who were deaf in the group. Since doing the workshop, we have kept practising the signs that we learnt and talking about our experience of learning the signs and we wanted to share them with others, it was something very real that we could take away and show to others.

When we started the activities in the workshop they were explained to us and then we were given a visual example, which was described as it happened. The people giving the example were a mix of disabled and non-disabled people and there was always a wheelchair user that was part of the group. I can see how this would work well with mixed workshop participants, as there was an example of how to do the activity for different people and there was also audio description.

“We need to accept the bodies and minds that we have and those bodies and minds that other humans have, no two bodies and minds are the same that is just the way the world is.”

We did lots of short exercises and created a selection of movements in each activity. At the end of the workshop, we then linked all of these ideas together and made one short movement based piece, we then took it in turns to show these to each other. I liked this as you got to see how different people had worked within different groups and how each group had adapted the activity or responded to the activity. It was good to see the different results of the exercise as a result of the different bodies and minds involved in creating it. What was nice was that the workshop leaders worked with the students in their groups and performed with them too.

What did you see or do in the workshop that helped you to understand the idea of being inclusive?

There was one moment in the workshop that really struck me as inclusive and a direct result of the creative workshop we were doing. One of the workshop leaders who was deaf was working with one of my Khmer staff and one of the Dutch students. There were three different languages involved, but they were all communicating. They all did a movement where they were all connected and all stood up together. It hit me that here were three different people from different places with three different cultures involved - Khmer, Dutch and Deaf, all connecting through their creative problem solving and all communicating mainly through body language to get their ideas across, this became the common language - the language of the body.

What surprised you in the workshop?

I was very surprised that the Epic Encounters workshop team where so independent at leading the workshop. The activities were very much led by the workshop team and the English person in the room was not the 'teacher' which is what I thought would happen when we first went in to the room. I was amazed how independent the team were, they were able to lead, communicate, explain and they were very confident in their ability. They seemed well planned and rehearsed and prepared for the session.

What was nice about the use of the translators too was that they were only acting as translators for those that needed them, they were not there to help and to lead, but just to aid in communication. It was good that one of the translators was also a wheelchair user; it helped to communicate the idea of equality on all levels and a sense of responsibility for each person regardless of ability. Both the sign and English translator were great at translating the energy that was involved in the sign language that was used; they translated the words but also the feeling too, it was very clear and professional.

What would you say are the attitudes people need to be inclusive in day-to-day life?

I think the most important attitude is to see people as people. I think that inside every person, there is a soul, and it doesn't matter what they look like on the outside. I think that every person who is on the Earth deserves to be here and has a reason for being here and contributes to the world. Regardless of what body we are given we live within it and live through it. We need to accept the bodies and minds that we have and those bodies and minds that other humans have, no two bodies and minds are the same that is just the way the world is. People's bodies and minds are different and this is what is interesting and what creates different art and creative ideas when all these things all come together.

“I think that every person who is on the Earth deserves to be here and has a reason for being here and contributes to the world.”

I think another thing that is important is to ask questions about, or of people and then listen to them, rather than to make a judgement or an assumption about someone. I have a brother who has a disability and I used to find it hard as a child as people would stare at him and I got protective and didn't want people to stare, but then I understood that he was unusual and people were just interested, but they were scared to just talk to us and ask. I always wanted people to ask me questions and for people to understand my brother, not to be scared, I wanted them to learn about him and then they could accept him once they had knowledge and were not afraid.

“People's bodies and minds are different and this is what is interesting and what creates different art and creative ideas when all these things all come together.”

I think that the workshops at Epic Arts give people the time and space that they need to work with people with disabilities, it gives people time to look at something they maybe haven't seen before and then move past that and enjoy time together. There is an open feeling that people are welcomed in to the workshop to meet the staff and students, to look and to talk and to ask questions, to be intrigued and to learn about the people and their bodies and minds.

You can see that the workshops are a great idea for generating funds for the organisation, but they are an effective tool for showing what inclusive arts means and what the attitudes at Epic Arts are. The workshops provide a platform to share the message of Epic Arts, the message that every person counts and people experience this message for themselves. The arts focus of the workshop makes the work that is happening at the organisation accessible for so many people, it's fun, anyone can try it and it creates connections between people.

“There is an open feeling that people are welcomed in to the workshop to meet the staff and students, to look and to talk and to ask questions, to be intrigued and to learn about the people and their bodies and minds.”

I loved the interactions through the workshop and I think it was so much more affective to see and feel the message of every person counts. rather than just to hear it explained in a talk. From my experience of this workshop, it seems to me that the use of the arts as a vehicle for communicating the inclusive message is extremely effective.

What would you say are the attitudes that can stop people from being inclusive in day-to-day life?

I think it's very important that people are seen as individuals, each with individual needs. It is not ok to group people together as the same, not all people are the same. I think sometimes people can group people together, particularly people with disabilities, by thinking that they have the same needs. For example two people who use wheelchairs can been seen as the 'same', but they are very different. Each persons personality is unique and so is each persons body, we cannot make assumptions of people based on another person who is similar to them. It is important to see each person as a unique, creative, human being and what works for one person, might not work for someone else.

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What has this told me about the inclusive arts practice within this activity at Epic Arts? What are the key themes?

Creative Interaction Cycle

Puck says that the workshop had a mixture of people, cultures and languages working together and that this combination inspired new concepts and these concepts were then affected by other people and produce something completely new.

Equality

Puck says that the roles within the teaching group were equal; each person had an equal responsibility within the group. It was clear that everyone had value and everyone had a job regardless of ability. Puck recognizes that within the group there was equal treatment of everyone, the people with disabilities were not ‘helped’ by those without disabilities and neither were the people with disabilities given more responsibility than those without, it was equal. She also notes that the workshop was taught in a circle, physically bringing everyone to an equal place within the group.

Communication

Puck explains the way in which communication worked within the workshop, that there was a three-way communication using Khmer, English and Cambodian Sign. She notes that even with the use of the three languages it was a smooth process. Puck says that she enjoyed learning some Sign Language at the start of the workshop and this gave her some simple skills to enable communication with those who were deaf in the workshop.

Teamwork

Puck was aware that within the workshop there wasn't one ‘teacher’, but a group leading the workshop together as a team to deliver the tasks, examples and ideas.

Humor

Pucks says that at first in the workshop her group were shy, but with the use of smiles and laughter, the Epic Encounters workshop leaders intermingled between the group and made them feel more comfortable. Soon they were all smiling at each other.

Disability Arts vs. Inclusive Arts

Puck explains how tasks were described in the workshop and how, because the workshop consisted of a range of different people, the examples given were applicable to anyone in the room. Because the workshop was not purely led by people with disabilities to a non-disabled group, it was inclusive of all people in the room whether they were disabled or non-disabled.

Share

At the end of the workshop, Puck explains that all the participants shared the work that had been created with each other. She liked this as it enabled her to see how others had responded to the task and to see how people had adapted and solved the creative problem. Puck also believes that the workshops at Epic Arts are an effective tool for communicating the message of inclusion and inclusive arts as people can experience this way of working themselves. She feels that the workshops are a strong ‘platform’ to share the message of Epic Arts and that they are more effective that just talking about the work.

Body Language

Puck gives an example in the workshop of three people working together with three different languages in use – English, Khmer and Sign. She noticed how they were able to meet on common ground and communicate through body language to solve the creative task

Confident

Puck explains how she was impressed by the independence and confidence of the workshop team. She saw that they did not need a ‘teacher’ or a ‘Westerner’ to help them, they could lead, give examples and communicate as a team and where confident in their own ability to do this.

Knowledge

Puck says that she could see through the delivery of the workshop that the workshop team were well planned and had rehearsed the workshop. They had the required knowledge and were prepared in order to deliver a successful inclusive arts workshop. Puck also says that when she was growing up she wanted people to have an understanding and knowledge about her own brother who has a disability, because then people would not be fearful of him

Leaders with Disabilities

Puck notes that one of the translators for the group was a wheelchair user, she felt that this helped to communicate the idea at Epic Arts of responsibility for all people whether they have a disability or not.

We Are Human

Puck feels that the most important thing about making inclusive arts happen is to see people as people. She explains that humans are bodies, minds and souls and that those bodies, minds and souls are all different and we need to accept ours and those of other people, but understand that that we are all made of these things.

Listen

Puck states that she feels it is important to ask questions and to listen to people rather than making a judgment or assumption about someone. She gives the example of her brother who has a disability and says that if people had been able to ask questions and listen and then learn about him, they would not have stared or been scared of him.

Individual Creativity

At the end of her interview, Puck finishes by saying that people need to be seen as individuals, as each person is different and that we cannot make assumptions about someone based on our experiences of someone who seems to be the ‘same’. She identifies that each persons is a ‘unique, creative, human being’.