InFusion is a whole different way of understanding human systems, and networks. Rather than having language structure our understanding, InFusion Space gives a way to understand meaning in terms how we take attention to our situation. This connect into different ways of knowing, and indigenous approaches to space, place and land. These are different to the more fragmented role based ways of living we see in the modern world.
Taking an Enactive-Ecological approach.
If we take the active engagement with space as being important. Finding a way to structure how we organize that awareness, when engaged in doing tasks attuning to others and attuning to our embodied state.
InFusion reveals a situated understanding of
Our reconfiguring programs is relational to local contexts. Rethinking relationships between Policy Makers, practitioners and Communities, we navigate and explore the complexities in new ways, that do not become overwhelming. Reimagining what is possible based on the transformations that are emerging.
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Participatory Engagement, to create inspirational experiences where people can influence and transform the world around them.
Going deeper into what forms of influence and transformation are possible and how they can be enabled
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Putting the Meso level in between Micro and Macro
Seeing a distinct dynamic at play between the micro and meso, and the meso and macro.
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A mirror relationship with the embodied experience of engaging in situated awareness, enactive engagement in practice-based activity and broader meta perspectives
Connecting in fractal ways these different levels of understanding. Seeing the relations to Legs - Hands - Heart & Head at the individual level, and embodied metaphorical level, with perspectives at a local, organisations, field of practice, governance and political levels.
To overcome the disconnect between silos of practice.
Innovative spatial approaches to trans-disciplinary team practice, that is engaging, rigorous and robust.
Change leadership across scales and systemic levels.
Configure relationships across progams that can mobilise communities of practices, and create capabilities for broader ecosystem to engage deeply with stories.
Co-create adaptive partnerships with community-based organisations
Lay the foundations for extending, and enhancing the impact of Socio-Drama Topography interventions at the local, organisational and Policy Levels.
Hosting exploration with affordances for by different kinds of practitioner
Establishing which hats need to be removed to be able to engage with new ideas, and ground our sensemaking. This has evolved into working with navigating embodied topographies.
Vision
Infusion lab enables profound preparations for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary practice, which is structured to allow contextual mental models of the practitioner to be created and shared. Also for the grounded perspectives at the below the line, and hyperlocal perspectives to be taken into account.
To further explore spatial processes. These labs led to developing a Framework for interdisciplinary practitioners to explore across disciplines in the space. The main aim of this work was for us to reflect on how practitioners from different community-engaged fields create meaning, and building upon this to develop insights.
Origin
Infusion lab emerged in 2008, and was a way to bring together practitions interested in exploring action methods , group dialogue approaches, applied theatre, physical theatre and scenography. It evolved as our socially engaged work in South Africa under the A.D.C.I.D umbrella. A.D.C.I.D (Aiding Dramatic Change In Development) incorporated in 2008 focus on the Zisize Drama Project, which developed in a deep rural area of South Africa, (area-with-over 35% prevalence of HIV/AIDS). derives from the
During the training of the team a range of Theatre of the Oppressed, and physical theatre approaches were used. Following the introduction of Ann Bogart’s viewpoints, and the use of Action Methods, spatial approaches to exploring meaning was given more attention. This was seen as especially useful as it gave a way to make sense of complex, ambiguous material, that may triggering while forcing people to disclose more than they would want.
This involved training teams to facilitate drama workshops (in isiZulu language), for grade 7/8 students. Desired outcomes included safer sexual choices to prevent the rise in teenage pregnancy and HIV infection. This project ran for several years, engaging over 3000 students and involving 8 facilitators, a nurse and psychologist.
2007: ran a reflective workshop with South African drama groups www.adcid.org/ImageofTransition_F6.pdf
In 2009, Capture the Unspoken in South Africa, funded by Health Canada, developed the key stages of a process we called Socio-Drama Topography(SDT). In 2011 a project funded by OXFAM adapted SDT to look at Water issues in 5 water catchment areas. We published a book chapter on this work in the UK in 2013. In 2011, we also began a project with the Centre for Community-based Research funded by OTF, around inter-generational and intercultural connections between newcomers and long-term residents.
We follow a capacity-focussed approach in all our community projects, with strong ethical framing, around building long-term projects which build local facilitation capacity with community members and partner organisations.
A.D.C.I.D. HAS SPECIALIST EXPERTISE IN 4 AREAS OF IMPLEMENTATION This involves artistic processes and relevant knowledge resources, continuing to grow these living theories and practices to inform how to better mobilize the communities knowledge, and better meet the needs people have. These areas have required a deep understanding and partnerships relating knowledge in specific fields and bespoke processes to engage the marginalized communities in this work.
Infusion Space is an approach pioneered by Stephen Sillett in collaboration with artist-facilitators to understand how to configure fields of practice, forms of performance and social cognition. It evolved out of the need to configure complex community-engaged projects.