Participants are invited to a creative workshop around the subject of homelessness and mental ill health. Ireland is currently experiencing the biggest homelessness crisis since the beginning of the state. Homelessness and accommodation insecurity have a hugely detrimental effect on the mental health of both people without a home and the wider community. Participants will be given a mini placard and will be invited to create a small scale iconic mixed media visual on the placard. The resulting artworks will be showcased in an art exhibition at Smock Alley alongside the work of commissioned Irish artists. The artworks will be returned to participants after the exhibition - we encourage people to keep the placards as artworks, conversation pieces or ideally as messages for future protests. No creative experience is required; participants will be supported throughout the workshop. All materials will be supplied. RUNNING TIME 2 hrs About the Company First Fortnight is a charity that challenges mental health stigma through arts and cultural action.First Fortnight hosts an annual mental health, arts and culture festival throughout January, throughout Ireland. The festival celebrates the arts as a powerful catalyst for sparking unscripted conversations around mental ill health and serves to challenge the stigma associated with mental ill-health. The festival aspires to make the beginning of each year synonymous with mental health awareness, actively challenging societal prejudices, and eradicating the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health. Electronic Sheep are designers Brenda Aherne and Helen Delany. Both from Dublin, Ireland, Brenda is based in Dublin and Helen lives in London, where Electronic Sheep have a design studio in Dalston.
