We nurture authentic communication through art, words, images and play. We listen; co-create; hold space for all that needs to be seen, heard and included.
Creative Coach, Facilitator, Trainer, Writer & Producer
Community Development
In 2007, Maria was invited to join a consortium of organisations across the South East region as part of a multi-million pound Big Lottery funded project, Chances For Change. The work under this umbrella became The Pantry Project CIC, co-led with diversity and disability expert Sarah Pickthall.
The Pantry Project CIC : playful, accessible, bespoke art and food residencies and events for young people, adults and health care providers. Evaluation of the impact of this work can be read here.
Pantry Project image : Living Portraits by Lyn Weddle.
Recovery and Self-Discovery through Arts and Food.
Recovery and Self-Discovery through Arts and Food. A project in partnership with Sussex Recovery College www.sussexrecoverycollege.org.uk/
Creative activities to enable us to learn more about healthy ways to approach food and nutrition and to build confidence and self-esteem.
Through A Wall Installation sketch (Alinah Azadeh 2016)
Through a wall
A collaboration with artist Alinah Azadeh. Step inside the skin of a stranger on a bench at Tehran airport or at a kitchen table in Belfast. Hear tales of fear overcome in the dead of night, acts of forgiveness between perpetrators and victims – or imagined reunions with estranged siblings.
An intimate, provocative and poetic lens on how the human desire to overcome barriers is stronger than the power to uphold them, and the tension between the two.
City Collectives
a collaboration with video artists Abigail Norris and Photoworks for House Biennial.
What are the stories we tell about the moments of conflict that change us? Personal reflections on this and wider issues around unrest are represented in this co-commission. The work is, in a sense, a group portrait of city residents’ shifting thoughts and their feelings about conflict, both personal and political. Small stories can be big, and City Collective reminds us that such events, whether occurring in our home city or around the world, affect change in communities as much as in political legislation.
City Collective begins with a photograph taken of staff on the balconies of Brighton’s Grand Hotel on the day it reopened after the 1984 bombing.
The project is a collaboration between filmmaker Abigail Norris, theatre director Maria Pattinson and an inter-generational group of Brighton & Hove residents who have collectively responded to questions relating to the HOUSE 2015 theme of Edge and Shift.
Together they have created two parallel films, presented as one installation in the domestic interior of the Housekeeper’s Room in The Regency Town House Basement. An intimate, provocative and poetic lens on how the human desire to overcome barriers is stronger than the power to uphold them, and the tension between the two.
Photo by Yaz Norris
Other Workshops & Projects
Testimonials
"I have known Maria for the past six years in her capacity as a facilitator, creative producer and workshop leader. Maria’s skill is in bringing an extraordinary weave of people together to work on projects that cut across boundaries and connect people to high quality immersive arts experiences. Maria facilitates authentic conversations and enables artists and participants alike to stretch themselves and explore new territories."
- Jenny Staff, Visual Artist Facilitator
