MASAYA is a community project that draws on the stories of the woman from the past, the present and the future. It aims to raise awareness of the female collective and how it can be used as a supportive and transformative tool on issues related to violence against women.
The first phase of MASAYA will involve a series of theatre workshops with women in Oxfordshire. These sessions will use image work, movement and masks to consider, what does it mean to be a woman in today’s society? What is our individual and collective vision for the future? And what power can be drawn from standing together as a collective?
In the second phase of the project, MASAYA will be developed, a performance piece on womanhood based on the work and voices collected during the workshop phase. MASAYA will spread the empowered vision of women and through doing so we hope she will help plant the seed for change.
What does the female collective look like? This photography exhibition presents MASAYA, a community project to empower women survivors of sexual violence by exploring this question. The inaugural event will bring to life this work. Q&A to follow
Booking required for Exhibition Inauguration Event on 8th March (No need to book for the Exhibition)
MASAYA workshops
Be part of this collective co-creation by joining one of our free workshops:
Mask Making Workshop
9th December 2019
1 pm - 2:30 pm
OSARCC (Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre)
Women will have the opportunity to freely create a mask that captures the essence of being a woman. The session is about having fun and expressing ourselves. It is a chance to reflect and connect with our individual sense of femininity as well as the collective womanhood. No experience of craft making is required.
For OSARCC client users and volunteers only (max 10 places)
For more information please contact:
Vocal Workshop
9th December 2019
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
MAKESPACE,
1 Aristotle Lane, Jericho, OX2 6TP
(hosted by YWMP)
Group session for participants to explore their voice from an intuitive and embodied perspective. we will work together to find the sounds that relate to our somatic experiences and create a collective female a cappella soundtrack that connects deeply to our experience as women, inspires us and supports us as a group.
Open to young women between 14-21 years old. (max 10 places)
For more information please contact:
Body Sculpture Workshop
14th December 2019
10.30 am-12.30 pm
12th January 2020
1.30 pm- 3.30 pm
FUSION ARTS,
44B Princes Street, Oxford, OX4 1DD
We will use the masks created in previous workshops and, through a series of activities, we will create 'body sculptures' -shapes with our bodies-which express our feelings and impressions of what it means to be a woman, both today and in the future. All the sculptures will be photographed and will be exhibited in a shared event along with all the masks.
Open to all women (max 16 places).
NOTE: Please ideally wear plain and bright clothes.
For more information please contact:
Body Sculpture Workshop *FAMILY ACTIVITY*
12th January 2020
10 am- 12 pm
FUSION ARTS,
44B Princes Street, Oxford, OX4 1DD
We will use the masks created in previous workshops and, through a series of activities, we will create 'body sculptures' -shapes with our bodies-which express our feelings and impressions of what it means to be a woman and a girl, both today and in the future. All the sculptures will be photographed and will be exhibited in a shared event along with all the masks.
Open to women and girls (no age limit). Activity for mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters... (max 10 places)
NOTE: Please ideally wear plain and bright clothes.
For more information please contact:
MASAYA TEAM
NATALIA VARELA
Art Director
Natalia is a Dramatherapist and co-founder of Plutonyka. She is currently committed directing MASAYA and she aims to use it as a connecting and transformative tool to empower women worldwide.
Laura Guarch is a singer, composer, performance maker and workshop leader from Catalonia based in the UK. She creates work with her artistic company Convex and facilitates creativity and improvisation workshops under her platform ImproPlay.
Macarena Ortúzar solo dance artist born in Chile. She has been developing her own performance work and investigations in dance movement for over 20 years, performing internationally. Her work has been deeply inspired by Butoh.
Kirsty is a self-motivated, independent photographer, She started off taking photos when she got her first DSLR camera at the age of 15. She is now an experienced photographer ready for the next challenge.
AMELIA HERNANDEZ
Communication Advisor
Amelia is a strategist from New Your City and currently based in Madrid, Spain. She is a self-described “people professional”, dedicated to creating meaningful connections between brands and communities.
BELÉN L.YÁÑEZ
Masks Workshop
Belén is a visual artist, performance maker and a co-founder of Plutonyka. She has created masks for almost a decade and they have become an important part in her performances.
Sarah is an Applied Theatre practitioner specialising in the use of interactive facilitation and theatre techniques to help people explore social issues, express ideas, and develop skills and confidence.
Helena Teira is a young professional producer with a broad experience in marketing and fundraising within the cultural and charity sectors. Helena is now working with companies to approach arts to audiences from minority backgrounds.
KIMBERLIE BIRKS
Curatorial Advisor
Kimberlie Birks is an art and design writer. Her work has been featured in Dwell, Domus, Metropolis, and CNN.com.
She recently published Design for Children (Phaidon) and she is a co-founder of Creative States (creative-states.org).