Freud's 4pm Session: Voices and Dreams from a Tide Isle

Voices and Dreams from a Tide Isle: A Soundscape from Portland, Dorset, at a time of crisis and community.

“I can dream about how and what must it be like for the guys on the barge

It is eye opening...”

In this session we offer a space to hear and explore the voices, dreams and reflections of women volunteers who supported male asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland Dorset through a soundscape that evokes the psychosocial mood and emotions of the time. As we listen to their voices taking us through their dreamscapes, we find a shared locale, both conscious and unconscious, which they inhabit. Hidden rooms appear in the volunteers' homes as they collect suitcases to give to the men to help them make their way through hostile and unknown waters.

The project emerged from a need to create a reparative community voice as a response to the racism stirred up in relation to fantasies of migration for which the barge became a powerful symbol, attracting global media attention. Our research team used a mix of social dreaming, poetry and audio media to give voice and to access the conscious and unconscious feelings of the women from the Portland Global Friendship Group who felt compelled to assist the men on the barge and show solidarity with them and each other at a time of division and upheaval. The soundscape works with the sounds of Portland and gives space to the women’s dreams, reflections and shared experiences during a time of crisis and anxiety, but also of hope and community. Stories emerge of loss, belonging, fear, incarceration, the search for home, displacement and family.

We chose to use Social Dreaming as a way of working with the volunteer group to get at the emotional core of their experiences. By isolating I-statements within the transcripts of a Social Dreaming event, we used the participants’ own words to create a blended group poem. This was then offered to the participants to reflect on in a recorded group interview, extracts of which are part of the soundscape. Sounds of the sea of Portland punctuate the rhythm of the piece and provide an evocative link between the everyday reality of the women’s experiences and their internal worlds.

In the session, we will listen to the soundscape, and together, reflect on its meanings. Candida Yates will lead a discussion of the project and its themes with members of the research team – Lita Crociani-Windland, Siobhan Lennon-Patience, Evi Kathansopoulou and Laney White.

Speakers

Prof Candida Yates, Professor Emerita in Psychosocial and Cultural Studies at Bournemouth University and Visiting Professor at The University of the West of England; Inaugural Research Associate, The Freud Museum.

Dr Lita Crociani-Windland, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Psychosocial Studies; Director for the Centre of Social Dreaming at the University of the West of England.

Dr Evi Karathanasopoulou, Principle Academic in Audio Production & Deputy Head of Department for Media Production at Bournemouth University.

Dr Siobhan Lennon Patience, Project Co-ordinator for the Weymouth and Portland Community Research Network and the Dorset Research Engagement Network; Inclusive Research Coordinator for the Lantern Trust.

Laney White, Community Volunteer, The Portland Global Friendship Group.

Complement your visit to the Freud Museum with one of our tours or talks led by staff, volunteers and guest speakers.

The talks are free with your admission ticket. Book your admission ticket now!

The event will be held on the first floor of the Museum during regular opening hours. Unfortunately, the Freud Museum does not currently have step-free access. Advance booking is highly recommended, as capacity is limited.

Concessions/Members/Patrons: Please show proof of eligibility/membership card on arrival.