Woven Network

📅 Today marks the conclusion of Fablevision’s ‘Woven in Renfrewshire’ exhibition at @scotparl . What an amazing week it has been! ✨ We had the honor of showcasing the project at Holyrood to mark Carers Week 2024. This exhibition provided a unique opportunity to contribute to the ongoing parliamentary discussions about the National Care Service and its future, by sharing the reality of carers experiences with MSP’s through our artists’ work. 🙌 A massive thank you to our fantastic sponsor, @geo_adam , for hosting us! 🚀 But the journey doesn’t end here… The ‘Woven in Renfrewshire’ exhibition is hitting the road! Our next stop is The Paisley Shopping Centre next week. We’ll be there through the end of the month so don’t miss it!

We’ve had an amazing time exhibiting ‘Woven in Renfrewshire’ at The Scottish Parliament and engaging with MSPs. Today is the last day of the exhibition, so come by and say hello! A big thank you to all the MSPs who have taken the time to learn about our artists’ incredible work in sharing carers’ stories through their art. Special thanks to @foysolchoudhurymsp for his support and for sharing the exhibition! Images courtesy of Foysol Choudhury📸

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of hosting ‘How is Care Working?’, a creative event at the Royal Alexandra Hospital as part of Fablevision’s project, ‘Woven in Renfrewshire’. This event included a community performance and artworks reflecting on care/work post-pandemic, featuring interviews and quotes from carers and NHS staff. Four of Fablevision’s commissioned artists have been developing work inspired by conversations with carers and NHS staff. The afternoon included a performance from Karen Herbison and community participants from the STAR Project, interactive works from Audrey O’Brien and t s Beall, and an audio/video work from Kayleigh Sarah McGuinness. We want to give a massive thank you to all of the participants, NHS staff and volunteers who came along to the event! Documentation of these artworks will be displayed in a touring exhibition, beginning next Tuesday, 6th of June at The Scottish Parliament! TOURING EXHIBITION SCHEDULE: 4-6 June – The Scottish Parliament 10-28 June – The Paisley Shopping Centre 29 June-31 Aug – Royal Alexandra Hospital, Cafe / Hub 6-14 Sept – Sma’ Shot Cottages

As part of the Woven in Renfrewshire project, Fablevision, commissioned artists and community partners warmly invite you to an unforgettable event on Wednesday 15th May, 1-3pm, with community performance and artworks reflecting on care/work post-pandemic. These new artworks feature interviews and quotes from carers and NHS staff.  The Details: How is Care Working? A Creative Event at the Royal Alexandra Hospital Wed 15th May, 1-3pm – Performance at 1:30pm THE GALLERY at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley (above Reception) ALL WELCOME – feel free to drop in when you can Documentation of these artworks & live performances, and a short film about the project, will be displayed in a touring exhibition June–September 2024. TOURING EXHIBITION SCHEDULE * 4-6 June – The Scottish Parliament * 10-28 June – The Paisley Shopping Centre * 29 June-31 Aug – Royal Alexandra Hospital, Cafe / Hub * 6-14 Sept – Sma’ Shot Cottages Woven in Renfrewshire is led by Fablevision. Funded by Creative Scotland, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Renfrewshire Council. Presented in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. We look forward to seeing you there!

We are delighted to share a glimpse into the creative process of Fablevision’s commissioned artist, Kayleigh Sarah McGuinness, on the ‘Woven in Renfrewshire’ project. Kayleigh recently paid a visit to the NHS laundry site as part of her work on the project. From these every-day yet profound materials, Kayleigh will be delving into the themes of caring roles and the weight carried by carers. Stay tuned as Kayleigh uncovers the stories hidden within the folds, offering a poignant reflection on the impact of everyday acts of care.

Today, we look more closely at Audrey O’Brien’s work so far on Fablevision’s ‘Woven in Renfrewshire’ project. Quote from Audrey O’Brien, “The current crisis in care is on a comparable scale to a war effort, though it goes unnamed and unnoticed.”

Today, we share a snippet from Karen Herbison’s ongoing work on Fablevision’s Woven in Renfrewshire project. Quote from participant, H, “It’s the first time anyone’s asked me… What it’s like for me… being a carer.”

Fablevision’s 'Woven in Renfrewshire' is currently exhibiting at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, featuring a selection of work from our previous project, 'Woven in Govan' (20/21) as a prelude of what’s to come in the project. The exhibition’s placement within the hospital coincides with the Scottish national public inquiry into COVID-19. The insights and experiences shared during both projects will feed into the conversation around women carers' experiences before, during, and post-pandemic - highlighting how things have changed and, importantly, how they haven’t. Upon completion of the project, the insights of our participants will be presented to the Scottish Government in an exhibition in the Parliament in June 2024.

Last week, we had the privilege to host an event in the Royal Alexandra Hospital staff hub, where NHS staff and volunteers were invited to join Fablevision’s Woven in Renfrewshire team for afternoon tea, cake and an opportunity to meet the artists involved in the project! All of the Woven in Renfrewshire artists were in attendance, t s Beall, Audrey O’Brien, Kayleigh Sarah McGuinness and Karen Herbison, and it was so lovely to see our colleague Ailie Rutherford, who was one of the commissioned artists for our previous project, Woven in Govan. We want to give a massive thank you to all of the NHS staff & volunteers who came along to the event and to express how delighted we were to have the opportunity to chat and learn more about their experiences in their work. Photography by @studiofv.media 📸

@fable_vision ‘s Woven in Renfrewshire team visited the magnificent Russell Institute recently and were amazed at the incredible legacy of care built into the fabric of this building. The dedication of Lady Agnes Russell to the wellbeing of the women and children of Renfrewshire, and J S Maitland’s art deco architecture, tell their own story. In a harsh pre-NHS era between the wars, Lady Agnes was determined to honour Renfrewshire’s women and children with an innovative, exceptional building which provided state-of-the-art medical care — regardless of social status. There is poignancy in the fact that she never lived to see its completion. A big thank you and shout out to Melissa McGrogan for showing our team around the incredible Russell Institute here in Paisley! Melissa guided us around the building, shared its history, and has offered space to our artists to interview carers during the Autumn months. An all together appropriate visit for our Woven in Renfrewshire artists: a historical hub showcasing the artistry, craft, culture and care that has been at the heart of the region for the last century. Images 1-3 provided courtesy of @tsbeall 📸 #renfrewshireproject #sociallyengagedart #localrenfrewshire #russellinstitute

To round off our meet the artists feature, introducing Fablevision's Woven in Renfrewshire Lead Artist, t s Beall!✨ t s Beall is a socially-engaged artist and researcher based in Dumfries and Glasgow, working with diverse communities on durational artworks which aim to recover and celebrate underknown histories. For the last decade she has developed projects in both rural and post-industrial urban environments, collaborating with under-represented communities across Scotland and internationally. Her work spans a variety of media including performative events, printed matter, and creative interventions in the public realm. She is Lead Artist for Woven in Renfrewshire, was LA for Woven in Govan, and was 1 of 7 commissioned artists for Woven Network (Scotland/Sweden/Ukraine) – all investigating care/working and women’s care burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing projects include @rememberingtogetherdg (Co-creating a Community Covid Memorial, Lead Artist with @katie_j_and 2022-24); @fairscotland (with Travelling Showpeople, 2013–present); and @protestsandsuffragettes (recovering and highlighting women’s activism in Scotland, 2013-present). Her practice-led PhD with @uofglasgow (2017) collaborated with the @riversidemuseum and Glasgow Museums to develop new engagement strategies and more inclusive practices via co-curation and participatory performance. #renfrewshireproject #sociallyengagedart #localrenfrewshire#thevalueofcare

Onto our third week of meeting Fablevision's Woven in Renfrewshire artists, we're delighted to introduce to you Audrey O'Brien!✨ "Audrey O’Brien is a socially-engaged artist who works across photography, collage and sculpture. She was born in Ireland and is based in Glasgow where she studied Fine Art Photography (2000). A background of employment in social care and obtaining MPhil in Art & Design in Organisational Context (2003) at the Glasgow School of Art informed her work in Arts & Health and Arts & Disability. Recent projects include 'Remembering Together' Co-Creating Community Covid Memorial, Phase 1 Artist 2022 – 2023, 'Woven in Govan' highlighting carers and care work resulting in a group exhibition in Kinning Park Complex 2022. Audrey contributed to a publication 'The Walkbook: Recipes for Walking & Wellbeing', project research on people's experiences of walking during the pandemic, Walk Create, 2022." #renfrewshireproject #sociallyengagedart #localrenfrewshire #thevalueofcare