IN THE SPACE WITH… LAINIE

It is at the core of Old Diorama’s charitable purpose to provide space and opportunities for local and creative communities and, in doing so, we are fortunate to meet fascinating people doing inspiring things. This is the latest in a series of interviews with some of the people and organisations we support and commission at ODAC.

One Fest took place across an incredibly cold two week period in January, and across the entire top floor of ODAC. The programme featured workshops exploring a wide range of disciplines; including wire sculpting, screenwriting, graffiti art, and mask making; as well as food, drink, and a safe creative space for over 200 artists and visitors throughout the festival.

Lainie is the programmer, and one of the curators of the One Festival of Homeless Arts.

The One Festival of Homeless Arts has just finished… would you introduce yourself and tell us about your role!

I spent the two weeks hosting the festival, and before that I programmed the workshop schedules and site planning. The themes, workshop content and atmosphere and the exhibition were co-curated as the festival developed, initiated by our drop-in Launch day on the 10th of October where people shared what they wanted to see/feel at the festival.

How did you get involved with One Fest?

At the last One Fest in 2019, I offered to host a quieter corner as part of the exhibition opening. I really like quieter spaces at busy events. It was called Jimmy's Corner (referencing the Museum of Homelessness’s blog Jimmy’s Corner). Anyway, in the feedback from the guests, Jimmy's Corner was a big success.

So David [Tovey] was inspired to try and replicate the atmosphere of Jimmy’s Corner at the festival itself, and that’s where this concept of having a two week making festival came from - a space to exist and express.

What would you say is different about One Fest to other programmes, events and festivals, particularly those for people with lived experience of homelessness?

First of all it’s very unusual for a place to share a physical site for free for such a long stretch, and something that was commented upon a lot is the atmosphere of the festival itself. There was no ‘ask’ - demands placed on people participating in the festival. It was a simple invitation: “Welcome to a hospitable, cosy space to be and make”. 

There is often such a big demand to perform and exist in a certain way when we turn up to an event, work, or overly formalised creative settings and One Fest offered a space where people could exist and explore whatever one wanted to do. Be that nap, lunch, or whip up a giant painting.

I know the festival just finished but what reflections have you had so far?

I loved it, the whole thing. We had a blank canvas, a beautiful team, so many amazing artists and facilitators, some funds, and amazing things happened. So far, my thoughts are holding on to the many special connections and occurrences that happened across the two weeks, moments that can’t be justified by words .

On our busiest day everrrrrrrr, lunch cancelled… at lunch time. Magic Claire and local restaurant Chutneys quickly arranged a massive feast. It was overwhelmingly good and I cried. My favourite day ever. 

Generally I’ve been thinking about dedicating more of my life to making beautiful messes, to napping, talking to other people, making things with other people, sitting by oneself. Letting life and creative forces do their thing unbridled . And for this to be an occurrence in our everyday lives, not to be kept for specialised formats of festivals/holidays/weekends.

Were there any classes which were very different to what you expected?

There was a workshop centred around historical printing processes. It was novel for me to see  digital photography blended with 19th century printing processes  - quite bizarre and beautiful seeing the clash and melding of photography across time. Photography is quite the portal. The photography room hosted an intergenerational cohort of artists and intergenerational techniques with lots of photo collages being mish mashed together. The quiet concentrating buzz laced with cyanotype sloshing in the room was quite gorgeous.

What can places like ODAC do, outside of a time when a festival is happening, to best support people who are having a difficult situation with housing?

“Art is survival” as J.S ( artist at festival) kept saying. People will always find and make spaces to create. 

Our solidarity is not with the misery and difficulty but with the vigour with which people do not put up with it . I read that somewhere . The essence of the festival was this, a whole lot of paint and vigour. Finding ways to sustain and support the vigour, perhaps that’s the way to go, alongside continuing to listen to and hold the difficult points. 

On a basic practical level, very much continuing to share onsite resources would be great. I think Old Diorama is set up quite beautifully because you do have the open kitchen situation, plug sockets, accessible bathrooms. When people walk in, there’s no expectation to be signed up for something, you can just walk in and get on with your own thing. I think there's something very important about being able to be, by yourself, as a sovereign being and just sort of being able to exist and I think your foyer area at Old Diorama is perfect for that. 

It’s also perfect for more ODAC jam sessions. We say more magic jam sessions at ODAC please.

I know this is an odd thing to ask you a week after or five days after it's finished, what do you what might you see happen with one fest in the future? 

Well we have the exhibition up for the next five weeks… there may be some other one fest going-ons in that time, but that isn’t confirmed yet so maybe I shouldn’t talk about that! What is certain, is it would be great to have lots of people enjoying and exploring the work that’s been made! 

Final question, what did you like about working at ODAC? 

ZIGGY.

Absolutely fair! I think a lot of our visitors would give the same answer to be honest.

Thank you to Lainie for chatting with us about One Fest, and for all your hard work organising and hosting this important festival. 

More photos of One Fest, by Matt Mahmood-Ogston can be found here!