Event: Online Zoom Forum: Re-Purposing.
Date: Wednesday 14 April 2021.
Time: Forum: 6.30pm-8.30pm (UK time).
Event Description: Spirit@Work – Three Interconnected Explorations:
Re-Purposing ~ Place-Making ~ Well-Being
Re-Purposing – Spirit@Work?
The invitation is to explore the territory beyond ordinary purpose, into the act of purposing, and then more deeply into intentional re-purposing – as possible manifestation of Spirit@Work. The forum will be open to a range of perspectives and contexts based on the lived experience of participants, feeling into the territory between the personal and the universal. It is projected that this might include ranging between re-purposing our built environment, and re-purposing our inner environment - our own selves. Potential themes include renovation, renewal and rehabilitation. There will be particular curiosity around connections to places and placemaking, and wellbeing and wholeness – for further exploration in the forums to come.
Format: Each forum will consist of an inquiry into different forms of Spirit@Work. The two hours will be programmed in three roughly equal segments – divergence, emergence and convergence.
The first will focus on surfacing a diversity of possible perspectives, based on several brief invited provocations (mini-keynote presentations), supplemented by volunteered participant offerings.
These in turn will form the basis for small-group break-out discussions focused on emergence of new perspectives or emphases, to be reported in the final plenary.
Aided by a few designated ‘key listener’ offerings, the closing segment will aim for some convergence (common-meaning-making) around themes and questions worth pursuing further, perhaps in a longer future ‘day conference’ format.
Mini-Keynote Presenters:
Cliff Hague: Cliff Hague's career has been about contesting and re-purposing institutions concerned with places and planning, from an unsuccessful challenge to Glasgow's 1960s redevelopment to refocusing Edinburgh's Cockburn Association over the last 5 years. His personal journey from inner Manchester childhood to globe trotting academic, meant becoming an insider while remaining a committed outsider.
Hina Hirani: Hina Hirani is a qualified architect with over twenty-three years of professional experience in architecture, sustainability and built environment. She is passionate about the difference built environment and places can make in people’s lives. Spirituality has always been at the core in her personal and professional life; currently she is working on re-purposing Ecclesiastical Buildings to be more adaptive and attractive places for all.
Gavin Thomson: Gavin Thomson is a psychotherapist, artist, and constructor architect. As a co-founder of the charity, Living Pattern Community, he is radically rebuilding a presently largely derelict 1906 police station in Winchburgh. This will become an outreach base for working with a pioneering transformational psychotherapeutic model including a neuroscience informed by cellular psychotherapy, breathwork, creativity, and nature wonder. While the model is highly effective in working with individuals, it also works with groups of twenty or so participants. The intention is to partner community organisations across a wide range of support fields whose clients face personal real life challenge.
John Halliday: John Halliday is Director of Development, Community Renewal - a charity based at the North Edinburgh Resource Centre. John is interested in how we rethink the systems in the public and private sectors which inadvertently entrench persistent poverty in Scotland. Especially how and when people get support in deprived neighbourhoods. He is a Trustee at SENScot, social entrepreneur at Caledonia Cremation and Director of Development at the charity Community Renewal.
Key-Note Listeners:
Robert Palmer: Robert Palmer is an international consultant working on a range of cultural and artistic projects. He was the Director of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage for the Council of Europe, the Director of two European Capitals of Culture (Glasgow and Brussels), and is currently the adviser to several international cultural organisations. He has also been the Director of Culture for Glasgow and Director of the Scottish Arts Council. Lives in Edinburgh.
Heather Monteith: Heather is co-founder of the Trust Your Breath which is a community based educational charity dedicated to the teaching of Correct Breathing for the reduction of stress and maintenance of health and well-being on all levels. Over the past four decades many thousands of people throughout Scotland have been helped by the charities work, re-learning how to breathe correctly, as a healthy baby breathes and who is the perfect instructor in breathing. Heather has co authored the inspirational book ‘Trust Your Breath’ based on the charities work and is full of useful information about breathing, insights, testimonials, facts and quotes by writers who have also explored the importance of breathing.
NB: There will be no refund if you cancel your booking.
Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions)/£3 (Students), or by donation as required. For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.