Portraits of Recovery<\/a>, a UK contemporary arts organisation working with people in recovery from substance use.<\/p>\n\u201cOur ethos is about looking at arts and culture as part of people\u2019s recovery journey, and about making social change through arts and culture,\u201d said Dominic Pillai, curator of social engagement at Portraits of Recovery.<\/p>\n
Pillai explained that the organisation has a philosophy called \u2018recoverism\u2019, which approaches recovery from a cultural and activist perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recovery community is a marginalised community \u2013 there\u2019s a lot of stigma around it \u2013 so Portraits of Recovery is about visibility,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are working with marginalised voices in society and the recovery community itself but the broader context is about breaking down barriers and creating inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
In what is thought to be the UK\u2019s first artist residency in a treatment and recovery centre, designer Joe Hartley made twice-weekly visits to Anew, collaborating with around 60 people.<\/p>\n
Because of the fluid nature of Anew, Hartley worked with different people at different stages of recovery, across disciplines including ceramics and photography.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one of the early sessions, Joe did a bonding exercise where people were making teapots \u2013 as tea and tea-making are a big part of the recovery process,\u201d explained Pillai. \u201cTo challenge people from getting too possessive or taking ownership, one person would make the body, pass it on, the next would make a handle, the next a spout. All the pots were made by everyone, not by one person,\u201d said Pillai.<\/p>\n
The broader context is about breaking down barriers and creating inclusion<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be bleak in the recovery process, but we wanted to make sure it was joyous, and that it helped create community and connection,\u201d he said. People with lived experience of addiction often feel isolated, Pillai explained, \u201cbut art can bring people together, build community and give a renewed sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow we look at the world is through art and culture, and what that reflects back to us,\u201d he said. \u201cArt means many things to different people, and that\u2019s no different for the recovery community either. We think it\u2019s vital.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project was especially poignant for Hartley, who lost his younger brother to substance use four years ago. \u201cIt\u2019s been a highly emotional but positive experience \u2013 to see that struggles with substance use don\u2019t always end the same way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now, as the six-month residency draws to a close, the works created will be exhibited at Manchester\u2019s Castlefield Gallery until 19 October.<\/p>\n
Main image: Joe Hartley, centre, with two members of the Anew recovery community during a ceramics workshop. Credit: Anew recovery community<\/p>\n
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