regina mendes, 15 January 2017

Yanai, Caroline, Joy, Lizzie, Nicky, Finn, Elspeth, Emma, Kerrie, Vic, Sarah, Kate,

Jack, Richard, Kaiya, Ben, Amerie, Tanuja, Catherine, Kate, Emma, Roxana and

Naomi came to the session.

We've been working on the third community of dolls. We made and meditated 20 dolls

this weekend.

We've reached 1468 dolls in total already!

Jennifer joined the dolls and brought her project, I absolutely love this project, she

writes down people's personal fairy tales. We stayed together with our projects for

some hours, it was a bliss. She also made the most beautiful signature book for us, I

loved it!

One of the comments reminded me of the old times when there wasn't the split

between work and holidays. That's what we feel when we make dolls, there's no

separation anymore, work and pleasure are together again.

In the last big circle Ridley asked ‘How do the dolls stand up in the middle of the

circle?’ I tell you Ridley, because they stand up together, they support each other. If

any of them give up many will collapse, sometimes all of them, so the magic is to

stand up together and do not give up to help one another.

Some comments:

'This was just what I needed to do. To sit and make and talk and share thoughts.

Thank you.'

'I had a really fantastic experience. The way people talk and connect when they are

making together is invaluable. Thank you! I wish there was more making at D&D!'

'Interesting conversation and thoughts. The figure is the same kind of size as Gilda

was'

'Thank you for the choice to sit and talk about dolls, dreams, hearts and puppets. It

has also a time to reflect on the hearts in my family - near and far, biological and

artistic'

'Thanks Regina for this chance to try something new and inspirational. I loved the fact

that I've put dreams and a heart into a doll'

'Check Shrouds of the Somme, 19240 individually wrapped dolls to commemorate the

people who died on the first day of the battle. Rob Heard based in Somerset.'

'We are the giants bringing tiny nation to life. Breathing dreams into them and kick

starting their existence with our pulse energy. Be happy together tiny people. Peace

and love are your watchwords. They are everything.'

'Is it a male or female?' ‘Maybe a bit of both’. The part of the face we can see is

eye-closed, peaceful. Unwilling at first. Mind elsewhere, somewhere else to- someone

to- thing to- and yet don't talk to me. Leave me alone. Stuffing dreams into cloth.

Sitting in a small circle of women. A circle of no focus. There is no point. Push the

stuffing right down, tight pack the cloud. It has to stand upright, firm. In me, there's a

melting. That wasn't the intention. We didn't know what was needed and it happened

anyway. Words bubble and telescope around as the little body becomes firmer,

plumper, more ready to stand. She asks me how, about my writing. My passion! She

has heard the pull of that thread at my heart and wants to investigate it. Tenderly she

pulls that thread. ‘ Passion is not always a joy’, she tells me. The guardian of the dolls!

‘It’s in the word'. I have placed the heart, it is big and round and in the right place. The

point of the needle finds its place, pulls this stitch, and the next, and another. It was a

big area needing completion- but not a problem! No! Our journey. Special scar. Thank

you Regina x'

'I sat meditating. Part of me knows that I'm still at D&D in Bristol. I know I have my

hand on my right wrist, feeling my heartbeat. My right thumb is placed on the heart of

the doll I have helped to make. It's in my palm. I hold it. And right now I'm held inside

D&D. Within my meditation I hear talk about community, about a larger connection to

the world, about a reason. I also hold a reason, a connection and a community now in

my hand - you have made me part of a community with this doll, but also you've let me

make a community. Thank you.'

Thank you so much to everybody who made dolls and to everybody who made this

brilliant event happen once more, at this time in this amazing space in Bristol. Thanks

to Sarah, Ben, Anabel, Nick, Lee and Phelim, and lots of other Sarahs, Robert, Jen

and many others, much love to you all.

Regina

dreamsandaheart.com

Tags:

Puppetry, a heart, Puppeteers, A Heart, puppeteers, Hearts, A heart, Meditation,

dreams, puppeteer, Dolls, puppetry, doll, Heart, Doll, dolls, meditation, heart, Dreams,

hearts, Puppeteer