Leah Snyder leads her collaboration in Canada as part of our work on Reimagining Turtle Island / Canada. In Leah’s words:

Those of us working in the space of social justice and the arts are often working beyond our capacity, stretched thin, and living precariously. In survival mode, we may sacrifice moments of pleasure as we perceive that they are superfluous to the important issues we are addressing. Yet they are what we require to recalibrate after the undoing caused by the organizational and institutional harm we face as individuals and as communities. Convening moments of respite is as critical to our work as our labour as it is in these moments, when our bodies and minds are in a different mode of receptivity, possibilities open up and other connections are made. Through moving our bodies while we are at ease, and while in communion with others whose company we enjoy, we build muscle memory for healthy expressions of who we are physically, morally and spiritually. These moments are there for us to recall when we are overwhelmed with the burden of our vocations in service of addressing human rights and social justice through the arts.

I have witnessed the profound impact ‘playing’ together has had in building intimacy, trust and opportunities within my own community. During conversations on road trips, forest walks and while breaking bread together we have learned from and through each other. The KIOSK initiative is an opportunity to model this form of community building - “play as pedagogy” - and to work towards creating a blueprint for others.

Follow along on thismomentis.art (launching September 2023).