BEGIN:VCALENDAR
                        VERSION:2.0
                        PRODID:-//hacksw/handcal//NONSGML v1.0//EN
                        BEGIN:VEVENT
                        UID:cc3493a7e27c11e4d724cf1bc786e562https://godshousetower.org.uk
                        DTSTAMP:20260314T000537
                        DTSTART:TZID=20250307T100000
                        DTEND:TZID=20250330T160000
                        SUMMARY:Exhibition: International Women's Day Community Projects
                        DESCRIPTION:<strong>Friday 7th - Sunday 30th March </strong>

<em>International Women's Day: Community Projects</em> is an exhibition showcasing five women-led community projects from across Southampton. It provides an opportunity for the people involved to share and celebrate the amazing work they've done over the past 12 months.

All five community projects came to GHT in March 2024 to pitch their ideas for a year of funded activity and creative outcomes. <strong>We Skate Soton</strong> won the public vote and were awarded a £2000 bursary. The other projects were offered support in kind from 'a space' arts and were able to find other ways of funding their proposed activities and outcomes, making connections and building communities regardless.

Find out more about the five projects below:

<strong>We Skate Soton - <em>We Skate, We Vibe</em></strong>

<em>We Skate, We Vibe</em> is an exhibition of creative outcomes from skate-sessions, conversations and workshops that have taken place over the last year. These outcomes show how the community combines creativity and skating while always remembering that skating is a form of play. Expect workshops, a short film, a skate-able mini ramp and more!

<b>Abeer Kayani &amp; Lizzie Jones - <em>Sustainability Project: Plant to Pattern</em>
</b>

<em>Sustainability Project: Plant to Pattern</em>introduced sustainable natural colour skills to Mencap’s Active Citizens Group in Eastleigh. Focused on grass-root understanding of dye plants, colour extraction and application referencing ancient processes and tools.

<b>Alice Louisa - <em>Perspectives from a Safe Space</em>
</b>

<em>Perspectives from a Safe Space</em> is a collaborative art project dedicated to empowering and amplifying the voices of women affected by the justice system. Since 2023, Alice Louisa has been working at Hope Street, building connections with the women who live there. Through portraiture, she created a space for them to tell their stories. This project is a tribute to them - their courage, their growth and the supportive community they’ve built together.

<b>Anna Carr - <em>Noisy Joy </em></b>

<em>Noisy Joy</em> brought a group of women together from around Southampton to play, laugh, sing and sound noisily together and take up space, safely held in the walls of God's House Tower. Led by Anna Carr, with an ethos of ‘wonky notes are welcome here’, there were playful sound and movement warm ups &amp; games, simple rounds and soulful songs taught by ear, and moments for gentle improvised experimentation too.  Personal stories were shared about earliest memories of singing, times when we found and lost our voices, and a friendly, brave new community was born.

<b>Susmita Bhattacharya - <em>Flash Fusion: An Anthology of Flash Fiction and Conversations on Craft by South Asian Writers</em>
</b>

This project was born out of the desire to showcase South Asian talent in flash fiction. Funded by the Royal Society of Literature and published by Dahlia Books, <em>Flash Fusion: An Anthology of Flash Fiction and Conversations on Craft by South Asian Writers</em> is a unique book of stories, interviews and writing prompts from a range of writers from around the world. It also provides a starting point for workshops led by the contributing writers in libraries and community spaces in London and Southampton.

<strong>About We Skate Soton: </strong>

We Skate Soton is a women-led CIC (community interest company), run by creatives Amy Scott Pillow &amp; Emily Jones, which works to create a welcoming space for people to skate together, build confidence and make new friends. The group aims to provide a space in the skate world that is friendly and accepting of everyone regardless of their background, experience or the type of wheeled sport that they enjoy.

<b>About the other creatives:</b>

<b>Abeer Kayani </b>is an award-winning textile designer working across Hampshire and Pakistan, specialising in screen printing and sustainable natural dye skills. Her work engages marginalised communities in publicly visible platforms.

<b>Lizzie Jones, </b>an Arches Studios Southampton resident, is an artist with a diverse practice focusing on ethics around people care and earth care, including plant dye techniques and inclusive creative workshops.

<strong>Alice Louisa</strong> is an artist and activist from Southampton whose practice addresses social and political themes through humor and fantasy.

<strong>Anna Carr</strong> is a theatre maker, singer, and sound artist exploring themes of voice, autobiography, and journeys. Her projects include song theatre shows and community collaborations.

<b>Susmita Bhattacharya</b> is a writer and multidisciplinary artist whose work spans novels, short story collections, and community writing projects. She co-edited the anthology with Anita Goveas and Farhana Khalique and mentors underrepresented writers.
                        END:VEVENT
                        END:VCALENDAR