August 28, 2021
“I enjoyed taking part and it made me feel very happy inside.” (Gengiz Hussein)
“For me to be part of this film is an incredible part of my life story.” (Jennette Fone)
This feedback from the participants about the process of making the short film “Inside I’m Free” is what the new Joy of Sound film endeavour was about: to enable those stuck inside their flats and gardens in London during the first 2020 lockdown to feel happier, taking part in dancing and filming. Isolation and shielding became much more bearable on the days they were dancing around forgetting the gloomy restrictions of the confusing pandemic times we were living in. The joy of movement combined with the joy of music proved once again to be a winning therapeutic tool, transforming the entrapping walls and closed doors into healing spaces where they felt free.
Dances were choreographed by Ekaterina Peskova. The film was directed and edited by Vesna Marich.
Ahead of general release, “Inside I’m Free” is on the festival circuit and has gained many awards: Short listed at the Leaulea International Film Festival, Sweden; Award Winner Best UK Woman Directors Mount Fuji International Film Festival, Japan; Winner Best Mobile Film, Singapore New Award ; Winner Women’s Film category Druk International Film Festival, Butan and Art Film Awards Monthly Best Quarantine Film, Skopje Macedonia.
Meanwhile you can view the trailer:
Inside I am Free – trailer.mxf from Joy of Sound on Vimeo.
August 21, 2021
We are looking forward to our second road trip this year to a Bank Holiday open day event for The Treasure Basket Association
They work around the coast of West Sussex, enabling access to play therapy and therapeutic resources to support the emotional well-being of children and families in the community.
August 20, 2021
It’s now eighteen months since JOS started its Zooming program and we are continuing as we wait for news of lockdown conditions ending. After some fast learning about Zoom and running inclusive trials and scoping with JOS participants, we delivered our first zoom session on March 27th 2020, and quickly developed several different Zoom sessions covering a range of interactions and artforms.
Click here to come and take part – Join a session
Creative Writing and Ever New Story Sharing– sessions generating poems and stories capturing the emotions, challenges, sharing the intensity of lockdown. Click here to see Creative Writing gallery and videos
Inclusive Movement & Dance – dance, exercise and dynamic movement.
Seated Yoga, Breath and Movement – with more subtle exercise and mindful breathing.
Musical Games and Song and Sign – the chance to sing songs and practice Makaton signing skills.
Adventures into Here, There and Everywhere – multi-media virtual explorations of different countries, cultures and environments around the world during cyber journeys guided by different participants at each session.
Seriously Silly Sensory Sessions – a means of exploring the potentials, challenges and joys of improvisation through the use of ‘sensory looping’, in the spirit seriously shared fun — the core of JOS ethos and practice.
Despite being unable to travel and meet up, people can still enjoy socialising and keeping in touch with friends and associates. During 2020, we delivered more than 408 sessions – well over 4,000 attendances, including visitors from London, UK wide and around the world, with families, support givers, favourite objects – and pets! – all being involved, generating new creative approaches and relationships, fresh learning opportunities and shared community.
August 20, 2021
Our Covid 19 Response Creative Writing sessions ran between November 2020 and March 2021 co-producing 24 illustrated poems and stories sharing the intensity and capturing the emotions and challenges of lockdown. Around 40 people were involved an inclusive process of group co-creation.
We started off each of the pieces in lively Zoom online workshops, with groups of JOS participants coming together weekly, contributing themes and ideas. At the end of each session writers were elected to develop that session’s group input into poem, prose or dialog form, then to work with an editor to produce final pieces ready for publication online and in print.
A team consisting of an illustrator, graphic designer, video producer, voice artists, sound artists and composers took these pieces to another level, working together to create immersive videos with narration, music and soundtracks that express the shared communal response and personal reactions around lockdown in unique ways.
We are also producing an illustrated book of all the stories which will be a lasting reflection on an extraordinary time.
Click here to view the 16 videos that have been uploaded so far…
