(Local Piloting workshops in Berlin)

We are thrilled to share the results of our recent local piloting workshops held in Berlin as part of the Empowering Creative Minds project. Throughout March, April and May 2026, three distinct groups of artists and creatives gathered to explore the “landscapes of the self,” using art as a bridge to process personal history, resilience, and healing.

From the delicate layering of paper to the somatic release of breaking stone, these workshops provided safe spaces for migrant and marginalized communities to turn the fragmented nature of trauma into meaningful expression.

Workshop 1: TRAUM-A – The Depths of the Self

In early March, a group of migrant women gathered in Neukölln. While many of these women were already familiar with painting, this workshop introduced them to the Methodology of Collage.

Why Collage?

Collage serves as a powerful, low-threshold entrance into the inner world. As participants sift through images, their choices often unfold through unconscious patterns. The fragmented nature of a collage—bits of paper, torn edges, and overlapping textures—beautifully mirrors the way we often experience or remember trauma: as pieces of a story that we are slowly putting back together.

After an initial inhibition threshold, the participants became deeply engaged. They moved from finding a core idea to meticulously searching for visuals that represented their personal stories of pain and grief.

Indeed, using informal, creative ways to discuss mental health “loosens the pressure,” allowing for intuitive experience sharing rather than clinical analysis.

The collage workshop will also happen again on May 22-24, with participants from different backgrounds that will gather at Spore Initiative, Berlin.

Workshop 2: Broken Sculpture

In April, the focus shifted to a more physical medium: Geopolymer Sculpture. This workshop brought together a group of young creatives from the migrant communities to engage in a four-phase process of “Broken Sculpture.”

Participants manually broke salvaged cement and masonry. This energetic and somatic phase represented breaking down traumatic experiences into manageable components.
Then, they created “vessels” for their new forms (mold making), acting as a metaphor for setting boundaries and defining the space they inhabit.
Using eco-friendly geopolymer cement, the “ruins” (the old trauma) were reintegrated with pigments and binders to create something entirely new.
The final output rejected the need for “perfection.” Instead, the cracks and gaps were celebrated as a truthful representation of the healing process.

The two-day format allowed for an “incubation period” while the material dried. When participants returned to unmold their work, it was a moment of vulnerability and surprise. By cleaning the surfaces to reveal the “aggregate” (the history) trapped within the new binder, they were able to literally hold their transformed history in their hands.

Both workshops highlighted the incredible resilience of the migrant creative community in Berlin. The best practices identified by our organisers were simple yet profound:

Be gentle with the people. Maintain clear communication. Trust the artistic process.

By providing spaces of care for those who usually “hold space” for others, the Empowering Creative Minds project continues to foster community and empowerment through the universal language of art.