Storytelling Circles
Over the past year, we’ve been running workshops, gathering stories, sharing experiences, and research from people affected by the intersection of neurodiversity and creativity, in both positive and challenging ways. The goal was to highlight how socio-economic conditions can strongly influence the outcomes for people on the neurodivergent spectrum. To learn about our upcoming events click here.
Storytelling Circle at Central St Martins
At the prestigious Central Saint Martins School of Art, neurodivergent creatives shared their experiences of living with conditions like autism and ADHD, and how these affect their creative practices.
The stories and selected works from this gathering will feature in MORPHOLOGY, A DIARY OF DAY DREAMS, and the BRAVE NEW BRAIN exhibition at House of Annetta in May 2025.
Storytelling Circles at the House of Bethany women's shelter
Our next stop was House of Bethany Women’s Shelter, which supports nearly 100 women, many refugees, and others struggling with addiction or homelessness. We gathered to share stories of life with schizophrenia, displacement, neurodiversity, and the challenges of receiving a diagnosis while facing life-or-death hardships.
The women created collage art to express experiences that are sometimes difficult to articulate.
Selected works from this workshop will also feature in MORPHOLOGY, A DIARY OF DAY DREAMS, and the BRAVE NEW BRAIN exhibition at House of Annetta in May 2025.
Stoytelling workshop at Headway
Our third workshop took place at Headway East, a space for survivors of brain injuries. In collaboration with the dyslexic and brilliant poet Harry Man, we worked together to create a collaborative poem, SUMMER ZUIHITSU, which will be featured in MORPHOLOGY, A DIARY OF DAY DREAMS.
Through this collective effort, we wove our words, memories, and longings into a powerful and moving poem.
Inside Pentonville Prison: Neurodiversity, Film, and the Power of Expression
Lotje visited Pentonville Prison, home to the UK’s only neurodiversity wing, invited by Carlotta Allum to view short films made by inmates as part of the Stretch program, which uses minimal tech to enable inmates to share their stories anonymously.
This led to Lotje engaging with the neurodiversity wing, resulting in forthcoming work by neurodivergent inmates specifically created for the BRAVE NEW BRAIN exhibition at House of Annetta in May 2025.
Panel Perspectives: Neurodiversity, Migration, and Mental Health
Lotje was a panelist at the Intersecting Stigmas event, where she discussed BRAVE NEW BRAIN.
Invited by Dr. Khalid Ali, a senior lecturer at the University of Sussex and film festival programmer, Lotje appeared alongside Dr. Fionnuala Finnerty, a consultant in Sexual Health/HIV working with refugee and asylum-seeking groups, and Dr. Patrick Nyikavaranda, co-director of Diversity Resource International, whose academic focus is on migrant populations and mental health. Manal Ahmed, a Diversity, Inclusion, and Neurodiversity Specialist, also joined the panel.
We want to thank all of the participants for sharing their stories and for their contributions to this exciting project. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue building towards the exhibition, and we look forward to seeing you at future workshops!
Interested in joining future sessions or learning more about the “Brave New Brain” project? Keep an eye out for announcements and upcoming events!