Image by A Kershaw︎ Contact:
raestorywork@yahoo.co.uk
instagram: verdant.city
“An excellent day out! Good to incorporate the meditation I found that very effective - it helped me to cut off the constant stream of consciousness and allowed space to focus. As a photographer this has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities... thanks Rae!”
Art and creative process
as a method to explore self, others and place
I am an interdisciplinary creative practitioner, bringing together eastern and western perspectives through art, psychology (BSC, Phd) and Health (Traditonal Chinese Medicine apprentice to Master Ho-Yuen To since 2003) to create a unique perspective and way of working.
I am interested in our human condition as well as the environmental context within which we live and the other species with whom we share our world.
Two areas to which my work frequently returns are creative explorations of the lived environment (including sound/art/photography walks, and listening interventions) and social documentation using oral history and photography to reveal peoples’ experiences, memories and changing life trajectories. My work is archived (in the British Library in the case of publications and former North West Sound Archive/Manchester City Council Libraries for oral histories and soundscapes) to ensure diverse and representative history and the legacy of community voices.
I have been working with community based art groups in Manchester since 1998. First and foremost I focus on connecting people to themselves, each other and the places we live.
I am interested in our human condition as well as the environmental context within which we live and the other species with whom we share our world.
Two areas to which my work frequently returns are creative explorations of the lived environment (including sound/art/photography walks, and listening interventions) and social documentation using oral history and photography to reveal peoples’ experiences, memories and changing life trajectories. My work is archived (in the British Library in the case of publications and former North West Sound Archive/Manchester City Council Libraries for oral histories and soundscapes) to ensure diverse and representative history and the legacy of community voices.
I have been working with community based art groups in Manchester since 1998. First and foremost I focus on connecting people to themselves, each other and the places we live.
I draw on my own practise of sound recordings (field recordings and oral histories) and photography as well as a range of digital and traditional media in my work with groups and individuals. These methods enable people to explore the way that they look, listen and interact with the world around them and provide opportunities for creativity and personal growth.
Often my work culminates in bespoke, high quality publications, courses, workshops and exhibitions of artwork that serve to celebrate the work and achievements of local people and to challenge the stereotypes of these communities.
I am not an art therapist.
I mostly work with members of the community who are socially isolated and often excluded, including people with severe and enduring mental health problems, refugees, asylum seekers, unemployed people, young people at risk and older people.
Since 2017 my work has been focused on introducing people to nature and green spaces within the city streets. Together we are exploring how green spaces impact on our mental and physical well-being particularly when we use arts-based methods of engagement and interaction.
Often my work culminates in bespoke, high quality publications, courses, workshops and exhibitions of artwork that serve to celebrate the work and achievements of local people and to challenge the stereotypes of these communities.
I am not an art therapist.
I mostly work with members of the community who are socially isolated and often excluded, including people with severe and enduring mental health problems, refugees, asylum seekers, unemployed people, young people at risk and older people.
Since 2017 my work has been focused on introducing people to nature and green spaces within the city streets. Together we are exploring how green spaces impact on our mental and physical well-being particularly when we use arts-based methods of engagement and interaction.
