SAFE IN THE SHADOWS

A VISUAL POEM

Concept and Creation by Shemiza Rashid, Sophie Gresswell and Lizzy Fretwell

Sound By Gary O’Donnell and Marsh House Studios

Commissioned By

A visual poem highlighting the issue of women’s safety in light of recent crimes against and murders of women across the UK. Combining audio drama, poetry and visual art this piece shows the possibilities of collaboration not only between artists but between the arts and charity sector.

Warning: Themes of assault and references to gender-based violence.

Sophie Gresswell

Sophie Gresswell is a multi-disciplinary artist exploring identity, belonging and how we bridge rootlessness. Sophie’s work spans community engagement and accessible, responsive art. Her work has included an immersive audio artwork installation entitled ‘Luton Journeys’ along building hoardings in Luton and developing projection art installations for The Dunstable Centre library space alongside local schools. Since 2019 Sophie has been exploring her mixed heritage and has developed a passion for creating work which addresses interconnected global heritage. In 2019 Sophie wrote, animated and starred in a short film called ‘Where are you from?’ commissioned by BBC Arts and Arts Council England as part of the New Creatives program. In 2020 Sophie ran a project entitled ‘Ancestors, Protect Me’, which explored the experiences of artists of Colour during lockdown. In 2021 her spoken word piece ‘Recovery’ was played on BBC Radio 6 music and she began a My Story residency at Hitchin Library using poetry and art to engage the local community.

Website – www.sophiegresswell.co.uk

Twitter/Instagram – @sgresswellart    Facebook – www.facebook.com/gresswellart

Shemiza Rashid

An award winning evolving interdisciplinary artist, a community broadcaster, audio producer, theatre maker, activist, published poet, teacher, and single mother to 6 children. Her work explores and celebrates the lived experience of women of working-class backgrounds and marginalized communities and examines themes of mental health, political and social injustice. She works in innovative ways in making art engagement inclusive and always looks at ways of evolving from the status quo. Shemiza produced the sell-out Arts Council funded theatre production ‘The Mother Monologues’: Resisting Austerity @The Hat factory.  Short film:  ‘Women’s Space Invasive or accessible; Zoom fatigue’ A Matrix co – Lab commission with Sophie Greswell and  Revoluton arts. Shemiza is currently Co – Producing and directing an audio drama with Applied Stories (Museum of Stories; Bury Park). Co-writing a script for a Virtual reality training film on reproductive work rights in the workplace by GoFlow and producing a new theatre arts project with Soho Theatre London. For IWD 2022 Shemiza is featuring on a national radio series marking 30 years of the first all-women’s radio station, ‘Fem FM Bristol’, as a champion for female voices in community radio.

Twitter: @shemizarashid        Email: [email protected]

Lizzy Fretwell

Lizzy Fretwell is a director, writer and facilitator based in Luton. She believes the arts are a tool to connect communities and start important conversations. Her recent audio arts projects include: ‘We’ve Chosen Here’ in 2020, which explored places in Luton that spark memories of lost loved ones; and ‘Listen In My Shoes’ in 2021, produced by Revoluton Arts, funded by DCMS, exploring how safe young women feel walking in Luton. Co-Director of Holding Space Collective LTD a new multi-media arts company in Luton, she is Co-Directing their debut immersive film exhibition ‘Who Are You…Really?’ exploring how Luton residents aged under 25 and over 60 view their identity.

Website: www.lizzyfretwell.com         Instagram: @lizzyfretwell_theatre