Awakening Between the Lines
On your screen, you see an extraordinary deck that, for the first time, brings together the stories of a Bulgarian community of #WomenSurvivors. Each story is creatively brought to life by selected Bulgarian artists, illustrators, and street artists. Take these cards in your hands and explore this exhibit further and experience their power.
The power to awaken yourself and others. The power each of us carries.
Combining literature and fine art, micro-stories written by Women Survivors of abusive relationships are illustrated by selected artists.
Awakening between the lines” allows viewers to “read between the lines” of the stories and experience, both literary and visually, the emotional impact of these artworks and the unique sensibilities of their creators. These artworks and stories represent the strengths and voices of women survivors, bringing about awareness of domestic violence in Bulgaria and European wide.
Challenge Tackled
Shift the public narrative towards higher engagement with the topic of domestic violence and decrease tolerance to all forms of violence.
Breaking stigma ot mental health and trauma by exhibiting the internal power of someone who survived
Using art for social change allows us to reach audiences, who not necessarily seek information on the topic
Target group, beneficiaries or clients
The whole society
And women, who survived domestic violence and their friends, family, employers
Solution
Giving a voice to women survivors, and finding new models for creative intervention through creative writing, painting, exhibition and card games
The cards represent strength, new life and victory over violence, and that will have a very broad range of applications: from their use in therapeutic settings and group facilitation, to personal use where they can raise consciousness, empower, give confidence and foster courage.
Innovation
Games and art for social change
Early stage prevention
Empowered a group of women, who survived violence
Through these story cards, the early prevention and awareness raising messages of #WomenSurvivors reach people who have not realized they need support. The combination of two impactful artistic forms – literary and visual – has the power to touch deep levels of consciousness, as only art can.
Unique Selling Point
Games that provoke people to discover the power within themselves
Unique paintings and stories
Impact
Thousands of visitors of the exhibition so far
Hundreds of card decks distributed already
Great dissemination power and usability in different contexts
Feasibility/Transferability
The approach of using awakening art is applicable for every social change people want to provoke.
The games are free of charge, the cards decks are bilingual and can be purchased with a 100% charity from Emprove foundation
More info about the exhibition, the predecessor of the cards: https://openbulgaria.org/post/emprove-foundation/
Awakening through cinema: the EarlyBird project: https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/early-bird-the-awakening
Reel from the original exhibition in the National Gallery of Bulgaria: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cefnkc-oZkv/
Contact:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/emproveproject