THE COMMUNITY TABLE - MEMORY AND THE SENSES

Today we worked outside with Napier residents on a row of picnic tables under blue skies. The long table was laid with a range of materials on top of the tablecloth map. We were delighted to be joined by art therapist Debra Kalmanowitz who noted the ease with which people could sit around The Community Table and engage with materials and each other.

With spices and herbs alongside drawing and typewriting, there was the possibility of engagement of all the senses while activating memories, imagination and connections and allowing for small successes, all in a very strange environment. A small group of men from Kurdistan were particularly drawn to rose, mint and cardamom. One man said the rose made him feel sad and happy in equal measure. For these moments there was the possibility of a momentary orientation, of coming home.

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