Turnings Workshop

After a couple of exchanges ... we went with stripping it back to, to feeling of it, the gift being of, if it was a handmade gift, being of ourselves, it being giving, exchanging and receiving, something of us.

The gift became something we then, it became between us, an action, so it felt like there was an [breathes out sharply] out of the process, rather than it, like, being a continuing of a backwards and forwards.

Even when we had like the gift exchanges, it wasn’t like you were touching, you weren’t physically touching, but you were touching through the gift. 

At one point, there was still quite a bit of distance between us and she sort of unravelled this thing and then showed me both sides, and then it was clear and this is for you, so it sort of immediately pulled me into her space and established a level of trust ... we had so many versions of giving this gift. Like, at times where, I really noticed how it had been put together ... like there was one time when you’d folded it really tightly and neatly and it sort of just instantly opened my heart ... when I felt like, wow, this person had really thought about how to present it, so this presentation thing somehow I felt really important.

“A communication through, through that hand, like a kinaesthetic thing, and then, we also did one where we were back to back, which felt quite vulnerable in a way, but it, it eliminated the eye contact problem ... with the option of, if you wanted to, you could turn round and face them, or they could turn and face you, but you were giving that choice”

“We were also talking about, like, we were sat down next to, like opposite each other, but without a table, which, like, that’s like such a different encounter - and, like it’s got like the safety of sitting down, but without there being this table, there’s like, this lack of formality or, like safety of this thing that’s kind of, and then like thinking about different sort of postures”

“You brought your hands up and they both gestured towards me, which was a sense of, seemed like a sense of offering, a sense of inviting connection”

“I sort of perceived these arms as a sort of a question, a question mark. And again, and the sort of release into these very hopeful - you looked incredibly hopeful - when you were looking up, hopeful anticipation, and your arms sort of growing bigger and then moving into this hug”

“It just reminded me of how nice it is, in a way, to get into your body and try and process something maybe traumatic that you’ve seen or witnessed, and just like going through the sensations, and also on both sides, embodying that - it’s just very powerful, and something we don’t normally do”