2022 wrapped
It’s a new day at Vox Liminis.
In 2022, we’ve been able to experiment with new ways of working and dig into our values, while making and sharing lots of great stuff together.
We’re so glad to be back doing what we love – and doing it better! Here’s to more learning, making and growing together in 2023.
Here’s our 2022: ‘wrapped’!
UNBOUND
In June, Unbound made their debut performance at Solas festival in Perth, Scotland.
“Playing and singing my own songs in front of an audience was thrilling and getting a message across maybe at the same time was a bonus. By message I mean that giving people a space to be creative and be around creative people has a liberating effect.” (William, Unbound Community member)
June also saw the launch of ‘A Casual Kindness’, a poetry collection created by members of the Unbound Community with poet and storyteller, Pádraig Ó Tuama and published by Tapsalteerie.
We look forward to making and sharing lots more exciting things next year.
LOCAL JUSTICE WORK
In 2022 we started running weekly music-making sessions for people engaged with or working in Criminal Justice Social Work services. This includes those currently serving a community payback order who can attend as part of their personal placement other activity hours.
We also continued our work with Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow and established new partnerships with other women’s groups. As our extended community becomes more diverse, it becomes stronger for it. In January 2023, we’ll begin a songwriting block at the Lilias Centre – a new Community Custody unit in Glasgow.
MAKING TOGETHER AT CASTLE HUNTLY
In 2022, our weekly songwriting sessions at HMP Castle Huntly continued to grow.
“It’s been really encouraging to have had a number of group members join us for a Tuesday night Unbound session when on home leave or following their release from the castle. The current group are really supportive of each other’s work and their writing has come on leaps and bounds since the group’s formation. Watch this space to hear some of the songs and voices from the group in the coming months.” (Louis, Creative Lead)
FAMILIES, CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
We brought The Trial of Rex Redford to a number of schools in Glasgow. This fun, interactive workshop encourages pupils to think about the Criminal Justice System through the story of Rex Redford – a fox accused of stealing from Mrs Nicholson’s bins.
We also collaborated with the staff and young people at Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre and the Edinburgh International Festival on the Amplify project. Amplify provided an opportunity for those involved to write about their feelings around issues affecting them and their area, such as mental health, bullying, knife crime and misconceptions of young people. It also allowed them to be heard beyond their local community. In June, the Amplify group took to the stage in front of friends and family to share the stories and songs created through the project at a wrap party hosted by EIF.
As of October, we are back doing In Tune songwriting and music sessions for families. Polmont started us back with a bang and a three-day songwriting workshop where 7 fantastic songs were made to be sent home for children to hear their dad’s voices and thoughts. Glenochil are currently getting the first run of family sessions – 10 weeks of musical fun and games!
This year we’ve welcomed some new musicians to the team and are looking forward to to filling 2023 with new energy and many many more songs.
DISTANT VOICES
We have just published ‘The Art of Bridging: Learning resources’ from the ‘Distant Voices: Coming Home’ project’.
These resources are intended to help learners and teachers in any context — community groups, high schools, colleges and universities — to explore the impacts of state punishment (in particular, imprisonment). More specifically, the project focused on the challenges of reintegration that punishment creates or exacerbates.
Read or download the resources here
The final episode of The Art of Bridging podcast series also aired in March 2022. In this podcast, the community of people around Distant Voices – all of whom are connected to the criminal justice system in different ways – shared some of what we‘ve made and learned along the way. All episodes are now available to stream.
PAPER PLANES
In August we launched the ‘Paper Planes‘ project, through which a selection of new songs created through Vox Liminis projects are released on digital streaming platforms each month. Every song is a result of a co-production process where people with experience of the criminal justice system use creativity to share their stories and imagine a better world.
This year we built a new recording studio set up at Vox Liminis, which has enabled us to produce these songs as a community. The studio development was part of a wider re-design of our building this year which has made the space feel and work better for everyone in our community.
