The Full Story
The Full Story
About
About
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This is your About Page. It's a great opportunity to give a full background on who you are, what you do and what your website has to offer. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want to share with site visitors.
THE CRAFT
OF
THE
C U R I O U S
A workshop and creative residency exploring
the Art of play
and the
'Rites of the Ridiculous'
​
31st AUGUST- 5th September 2024
​
Eiri Retreat centre, west cork,
ireland
“These interreflecting themes, the prerequisites of creation, are playfulness, love, concentration, practice, skill, using the power of limits, using the power of mistakes, risk, surrender, patience, courage, and trust. Creativity is a harmony of opposite tensions, as encapsulated in our opening idea of lila, or divine play.”
- Stephen Nachmanovitch - Free Play
*OFFERING 1*
2 Day Workshop with
Afa Simpson
“If your mind is empty, it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” SN
Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September
(Arrival Friday 30th August)
​
This workshop is an opportunity to be led in practice with the ancient and often misunderstood art-form-philosophy of Clown and Fool to discover connection, cultivate curiosity, follow play and unleash expression.
Through actively engaging in play we can re-awaken a sense of curiosity in the world around us and within us, which brings a transformative window of ‘being’.
The work invites you into presence and encourages the freedom to embody and share the beautiful ridiculousness of our multi-faceted selves whilst in togetherness.​​
The workshop will culminate in a 'Rites of the Ridiculous' ritual theatre act.
​
*OFFERING 2*
2 DAY WORKSHOP EXTENDING INTO
3 Day CREATIVE RESIDENCY
“Ultimately, the only techniques that can help us are those we invent ourselves.” SN
Saturday 31st August
to Wednesday 4th September ​
The invitation of extending your practice into the creative residency is to continue exploring and developing your discoveries in a more free-form setting. This will be supported by Afa and the group with opportunities to document and present the fruits of the creative process as it develops.
​
This offering encourages an integrating of multi-disciplinary practice; weaving your own crafts into the creative process.
​
In this residency we recognise ourselves as a supportive and collaborative community of creatives who honour each others unique expression of artistry.
​
​
WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP AND CREATIVE RESIDENCY FOR?
This workshop is open to people who are feeling curious, or maybe people who would like to feel more curious in life! Whether you are completely new to Clown and Fool or are already practicing, this work has a wonderful way of making us all into eternal beginners.
Maybe you have a project which needs you to find a new perspective, maybe you are longing for play and togetherness and stupidity (there will be plenty).
If you have a creative passion in your life, this work can act as a catalyst for expanding the possibilities of your craft. Creating new and curious pathways for creativity to meander along.
Whether in art or life Clown and Fool create ripples which bring new perspectives and ways of engaging with the world around us and within us.
This work is therepeutic, but it is not therapy and not intended as such. If you are on a journey of healing as so many of us are, this is a great space to go on that journey with yourself, but the facilitators are not trained therapists and although the work can support a process of healing and overcoming, awareness of your capacity is important.
Do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions for clarity.
​
the craft of the curious
at a glance
Friday 30th
August
Arrival from 4pm
Landing and grounding
Evening Feast of the First Fools
Saturday 31st
August
- Optional Morning
- Practice - 8am
- Breakfast - 9am
- Workshop begins - 10am
- Lunch break
- Workshop finishes - 6pmish
- Free Time
- Dinner
- Optional Evening Practice
Sunday 1st
September
- Optional Morning
Practice - 8am
- Breakfast - 9am
- Workshop begins - 10am
- Lunch break - 1pm
- Final afternoon session
- Early dinner
- Evening Cabaret Finale
Monday 2nd
September
- Breakfast 10am
- Morning visioning
practice - 11am
- Departure of workshop participants and opening of creative residency
- Group agreements
- Lunch
- Self-led creative enquiry afternoon
- Dinner and sharing
Option of performing and sharing
Tuesday 3rd
September
- Breakfast
- Facilitated Group Morning Practice
- Free Form Creative Space
- Lunch
- Group check in
- Free Form Creative Space
- Dinner
- Sharing and reflecting/ performing
(the structure of the creative residency is flexible and alterable)
Wednesday 4th
September
- Breakfast
- Facilitated Group Morning Practice
- Free Form Creative Space
- Lunch
- Group check in
- Free Form Creative Space
- Dinner
Official closing of the residency
- Sharing and reflecting/ performing
(the structure of the creative residency is flexible and alterable)
Thursday 5th
September
- Departure from site
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Afa is a multi-disciplinary artist and facilitator. Exploring clowning, fooling, visual arts, music, poetry and forms beyond genre as avenues to relish the ridiculous and meander the mundane into magic.
Afa first moved to the U.K in 2013 at 18 years old and joined the National Youth Theatre. Later she enrolled in Goldsmiths University to study Theatre and Performing Arts. While in London Afa discovered the clowning community and found a clown mentor in Zuma Puma, founder of 'Clownlife'.
This was her discovery of how clown is not an isolated art-form, but can be harnessed as a philosophy through which we can transform our outlook and be more honest and present and playful with ourselves and the world around us.
Afa the wrote her dissertation 'Clown as Alchemist' and created an alchemical clown ritual film as her final piece for university.
Since graduating Afa has continued on this path of discovery, apprenticing under Zuma Puma and attending workshops led by Lucy Hopkins, Julia Masli and others.
Currently Afa is also doing a masters in Transpersonal Arts Therapy, a form of therapy training which focuses primarily on inter-connectedness.
(you can find a full list of trainings on the 'About' page of her website)
Afa is in the process of developing and touring a one woman clown show 'Dada Yaga', part of a two piece nonsense surreal clown punk band called 'Hear we AHHH' with Sarah Woolfenden and a founding member of a Womens fooling group which is currently nameless.
"Everything I had wished for and more.
Afa skillfully led our group with humour, wisdom and clarity without squishing the abundant energy to play which was quickly accessed due to the safe space she crafted for us. Afa facilitates in a very freeing way, she is incredibly gifted in reading and adapting to the needs of her group while keeping on the course objectives. Afa's not frightened to embrace the flow and gave us space to deeply connect with our vulnerable moments.
Afa is brilliantly herself and embodies clown in a way you want - need to know more!
I will forever hold my day with Afa and the group in my treasure chest of workshop dreams."
Sharon, Storyteller and Facilitator
WATCH AFA AT THE LONDON SUNDAY ASSEMBLY GIVING A TALK ON CLOWNING, IT'S HISTORY, AND HOW IT SHOWS UP TODAY
SARAH
CREATIVE RESIDENCY SUPPORT
Your CO-HOSTS
Meet Sarah, Peter and Sophia.
'The Craft of the Curious' is gratefully supported by a small team of magic makers to make this event possible and bring even more ridiculous poetic madness (and much needed practicalities) to us all.
Peter is the co-conspirator of this project, he brings a treasure trove of foolish and poetic offerings with him, and is a deeply sensitive and attentive space-holder. He is also the master of spreadsheets and logistics.
Sarah is an award winning clown ceremony maker extraordinaire, musician and sculptor. She will be supporting us with our integration into the creative residency and practical life of the group.
Sophia is a passionate workshop enthusiast who through all her innumerable acts of creativity- from doodling to performance art-dance-athons reaches out to us a much needed practical hand in the care of the group and is the patron saint of the kitchen.
​
PETER
FACILITATION SUPPORT
SOPHIA
PATRON SAINT OF THE KITCHEN AND LOGISTICS
