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The year of 2020 brought many of us to a crossroads. Navigating the complexities of the pandemic has meant a shift in our ways of working, communicating, and connecting with others. It has made us stop, reflect and maybe meant we couldn’t reach out or reach audiences in the same ways. Physical workshops have been on hold, and our main ways of creating together became through the internet or through art packs.
A chance meeting also led me to working with the fantastic Platform Thirty1, a women-led organisation working across the arts, culture, community and education sectors in the East Midlands. I started working with Platform Thirty1 just before the first lockdown of 2020, when I ran a ‘tin can robot’ workshop (see below) and I have been devising art packs for children and women in domestic violence refuges, and activities for children to express themselves with, through schools and community projects. Some of the children were unable to attend school due to health vulnerabilities, so the creative packages were to encourage creativity and engagement from home.
My work in education has often been puppet based, with a particular focus on shadow puppetry and storytelling. Witnessing the children’s fascination with shadow puppetry, and how it plays with light to distort scale, and opacity, translucency, is magical. I show the work of Lotte Reiniger before we begin creating. Lotte was the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation, and The Adventures of Prince Achmed, from 1926, was the first feature-length animated film. I have also worked with home educated children and can take into consideration any special educational needs, or other requirements. I have a calm, child centred and fun approach to teaching and facilitating.
I also run creative drawing sessions, and working with air dry clay to create original interactive games involving numeracy skills and team building (see my ‘Racing snails’ game pictured below!)
I have extensive experience in working with different community groups, such as families in domestic violence refuges, women with post-natal depression, carers, adults with mental health issues, children who are struggling emotionally, and those who simply seek the solace and connectivity of creating together in a held workshop space. I have worked with organisations such as Creativity Works, near Bath, Barnados, North Somerset Play Forum, youth exclusion teams, with art projects and in creative consultation.
“I have had the pleasure of commissioning Lise since 2019 for various art projects in the East Midlands for both Platform Thirty1 and on behalf of a locally led community action group. These commissions have ranged from public installation commissions, creative participatory workshops and various postal art pack projects during the Covid pandemic. Lise understands her audiences and has shown great consideration when working with different people, communities and settings which have included hard to reach families, women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. Lise is able to respond to various design briefs, and project aims, to ensure her work is positioned to stimulate others to be able to both access and enjoy experiences whilst learning new skills, techniques and materials. Her own art work, which has been platformed in public spaces for enjoyment spectacles in our projects, have been a great triumph due to the integrity of Lise’s artistic quality.
Lise is warm, open and flexible. Always eager to please, perform well and work meaningfully with partners and participants. Full of creative ideas and is equally passionate about art and people.”
Jodie Cresswell-Waring, Director of PlatformThirty1 www.platformthirty1.com
