Bodies in Time: A Creative, Photofantasy Workshop on Women’s Health Experiences

What does it really feel like to live with a health condition – not just medically, but through the changing experiences of our bodies, identities, relationships, work and everyday lives?

Bodies in Time is a thought-provoking workshop bringing women’s lived experiences of health into view through the creative art of photofantasy - a method that brings together family photographs, found images and text through collage, to explore experiences and emotions that can be difficult to put into words. Researchers at the University of Surrey have explored how this creative method can enable people to represent experiences of illness, treatment, changing bodies and identity on their own terms – and express aspects of living with illness that conventional accounts may struggle to capture.

The workshop will be led by Dr Lizzie Merrill and Dr Victoria Williams, inviting conversations about women’s health and the realities that can accompany it – from experiences of healthcare and long-term conditions to wellbeing, identity, time and the pressures of everyday life.

You’re invited to take part and explore your own experiences of health in this hands-on workshop. No experience or artistic talent needed. For the workshop, you will need:

• An internet connection
• Collage materials like magazines and photographs
• Scissors and glue

In addition, please feel free to bring any images you'd like to work from. In the past, people have brought family photos, medical images, medical notes, diaries or other personal effects.

The people involved in this workshop will be invited to have their artworks exhibited at Woking Library from 2nd-7th November.

For any further information about the workshop, please feel free to contact the organisers: Lizzie & Vickie (e.merrill@surrey.ac.uk / v.williams@surrey.ac.uk )

Dr Lizzie Merrill and Dr Victoria Williams

This workshop will focus on women’s experiences, and we invite all self-identifying women to attend. We will work to promote an inclusive and safe space for sharing these deeply personal experiences.

Anyone interested in the topic