Half-way through the second iteration of Deepening Creative Practice with Organisations, we would like to share where we are in the  process, the complexities of the programme and how we are working with online and in-person challenges.

After a fully online programme last year, this year, we have begun ‘get our hands dirty’ and experiment with the bodily and the visceral: we’ve worked with a choreographer Robert Clark, who invited us to think about how it is to live in one’s body and challenged us to cross the boundary of where one body ends, and another begins. We’ve worked with Nimble Fish on unleashing our creativity and learning through play. We’ve thought about what is means to care and to curate, to disintegrate. To create and to simply be. We’ve worked with temporary organisation and its dynamics. We saw, drew, painted and performed Dream Ecologies together with artist Bongsu Park.

As our participants of the current DCP cohort, Elizabeth McCourt and Rosamund McCarthy Etherington, write:

‘In a strange way, DCP is both what I expected and not anything like I expected. I’ve been both creatively and intellectually inspired and frustrated simultaneously – which I think means I’m getting the exact challenges that I need. The unique blend of people – participants, artists, and instructors – makes it special and allows us all to expand our learning of what this may mean beyond the bounds of our organizational container. Halfway through I’m still unsure of the final outcome, but alas, I know to trust the process.’

‘If I had to dream up a course, Deepening Creative Practice (‘DCP’) would be it. I have sometimes been frustrated by a learning experience that focuses on one discipline only – be that drawing, body work or academic pursuits. DCP encompasses so much – artistic expression, intellectual ideas, group work, movement, and free expression. The generosity of the faculty is amazing – they are attentive, challenging, and creative. And then there are an array of brilliant visiting artists that work sympathetically with the course aims and objectives. The companionship and trust amongst attendees and the energy generated is fantastic. Together we are exploring film, sound, audio, and performance. I am also intrigued by the subtle layers and nuances of Tavistock group work.’

Trusting and staying with process – this is what the past few months have been about. If you would like to have a glimpse of this process and see the group’s workings out loud, visit the public Padlet board, where we share associations, musings, learnings, workings out loud towards the fifth and final season: http://dcp2021-2022.tavinstitute.org

Find out how to join the next iteration of the DCP programme.

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding, don’t hesitate to contact the programme directors, Juliet Scott and Heather Stradling.