5.2.2026
We are hosting this workshop series at < rotor > gallery – a wonderful local arts space with a focus on participation and public space. The current exhibition, In the Wheel of Emotions – Awareness, Care and Forms of Quiet Resilience in Times of Crisis, resonates with many aspects of our project making it a fitting background for this workshop series.
We arrived for our first workshop at <rotor> to find the wonderful staff there already covering tables with brown paper and offering coffee. We swiftly set about moving all the tables and creating one table long enough for 18 of us – whilst a major spread was laid out for lunch.
New workshops always have to start by laying important groundwork – so after a quick welcome from <rotor> and some general introductions, Juliane outlined the project and Ren engaged in an important discussion of academic consent. Helen then extended this into forming an Agreement of Care for the workshops – both of which we will be returning to throughout the series.
We decided that an interesting way to fully introduce ourselves was though an object, so we had asked everyone to bring something that they couldn’t imagine ageing without. The response was really creative ranging from paint brushes to much loathed but though necessary mobile phones, to newspapers and even a piece of wrapping paper that had caught the eye of a participant as they travelled to the workshop; once collected, this scrap of recycling became a symbol for never losing the desire for freshness and a reminder of impermanence.
Quadrants Activity
In order to imagine the future, we need to think about how we might feel about it now and the futures quadrant activity is designed to elicit a range of thoughts, positions and emotions. Helen had placed two axes on the <rotor> foyer floor. In one direct lay “self” to “other” (both other people and things) and across this lay the certain/uncertain axis.
Assured that there were no right answers participants were invited to think about how they felt about the future placed themselves within the different quadrants that best fitted their current outlook. We then discussed why people stood where they had, how the position might change or what change in perspective might place them elsewhere.
Monsters!
Finally, it was time to think about monsters, being monstered/ othered and how people create monsters of themselves and others, as well as why and how can we claim the idea of being other/monstered to empower ourselves.
The activity started with the participants returning to the main table after the last activity, to find a wide range of monster images had been spread out. Ren then gave a quick slide show presentation exploring the ways of othering, ageing bodies, invisibility, vulnerabilities and ambivalences. We were also very much inspired by the feminist Perchtenlauf that was recently organised in Graz by Omas Gegen Rechts (Grannies Against the Right). They repurposed this alpine tradition of chasing out the winter to chase out “evil spirits” such as racism and misogyny. This very much resonated with the monster theme and values of our project!
Photos by Zoe Ebner/ Toni Teichmann
We then asked the participants to select an image and then discuss in small groups how this image represented monstering to them. Finally groups presented a summary of their discussions.
