Queercircle

GRIEF AND LOSS
Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times in an Instant)

As well as celebrating pride and joy, QUEERCIRCLE’s programmes acknowledge feelings of grief and loss, both as individuals and as community. Our communities have often been at the forefront of bringing creativity to cultural grieving and memorialisation. We bring awareness of particular LGBTQ+ histories of loss, such as those many of us carry from the AIDS health crisis.

There are many reasons to grieve, often involving layers that may include challenging family dynamics and estrangement, relationship endings, chronic health issues, social marginalisation, undigested pandemic experiences, war, violence, environmental crisis - as well as the death of chosen family or friends.

A number of groups and creative practitioners currently meet at Queercircle holding space for people to sit with their grief, rather than push it away:
PROGRAMMES
- White Kite Collective
  
  'The intensity of emotion and deep collective focus was like nothing I've ever experienced'
  
  The White Kite Collective are a grassroot group of cultural workers united in support of the Palestinian people as they confront genocide. They host evenings of music, poetry and reflection that give voice to Palestinian people, help bear witness to the experience of Palestinians, as well as providing space for people to simply gather and meet to share their experiences of grief. They fundraise for a range of cultural and psycho-social projects.
- London Queer Death Cafe
  
  'I got a space for the first time to speak about my grief, I feel able to express myself in ways I didn't think possible.'
  
  London Queer Death Cafe meets monthly at QUEERCIRCLE to hold space for LGBTQ+ people to discuss and share grief, loss and mourning. Their work aims to provide a community-centred approach to loss which helps people support each other in whatever their relationship with death is. QUEERCIRCLE has supported the Queer Death Cafe to extend their work into different creative directions, co-developing a course dedicated to exploring grief through creative writing and zine-making. This drew inspiration from the work of Camille Sapara Barton.
- Grief Tending
  
  ‘The opportunity to give dedicated space to my own, and others’ grief - so helpful - so important, thank you’
  
  ‘Grief tending was a profound experience for me. The fact that this took place in a queer space made it all the more valuable’
  
  We programme day long Grief Tending workshops twice a year, guided by experienced facilitators, Sarah Pletts and Rasha. These workshops combine a mix of active listening, guided meditation, writing, drawing, movement, ritual, speaking and sounding.
  
  “Instead of trying to push our feelings away or keep them out of sight, we give time and attention to them. We don’t try to heal or fix anything but give our emotions space to breathe”
  
  To find out more about Grief Tending ahead of attending, watch the animated videos in the link below.
- Creative Legacy
  
  ‘I felt privileged to be part of this ground breaking project. It was well facilitated by Kit and their co-facilitators. The unique opportunity to look at your life in terms of 6 art pieces was appealing’
  
  QUEERCIRCLE also plays host to artist-practitioners interested in reflecting on creative legacy. Kit Green partnered with QUEERCIRCLE to host a project titled What Will Survive of Us. This project created opportunities for people to create a personal legacy through their love of art, allowing them to commission six pieces that reflected on their values and unique sense of self. As queer people our sense of how we take up space in the world is very special, and so our sense of creating legacy will be even more special. A new website inviting everyone to leave their legacy online launches November 2024.
  
  Kit Green is a non-binary multi-award winning performer and writer. They enjoy creating opportunities to go to some potentially intense places with their work on creative legacy, but with joy and confidence.
RESOURCES