Ripple Effect Phase 2 begins: Session 1 in Hertford and High Wych

Phase 2 of The Ripple Effect 2026 is underway. Anna and Laura have begun meeting the new groups in Hertford and High Wych, and Session 1 was all about character and storytelling.

We set the room up with familiar materials on the tables, crosswords and word searches that linked to the themes we were exploring, alongside printed sheets where participants shared their favourite books and films. It was simple way to begin, but provided consistency for the group and gave us ice-breakers.

The first main activity invited participants to work in pairs or groups, building stories out of images, environments, objects, people, colours and textures and then challenge the rest of the group to guess which story they were representing.

The second activity introduced some archetypes (Hero, Villain, Rebel, Lover, Jester, Sidekick) and invited pairs to build a character from a selection of props, fabrics, costume images and descriptive words. It was a lovely way to see what people knew of each other, and how they chose to represent others in the room.

We are now looking over the long list of favourite stories and films from both groups to find the commonalities and categories. Next time we are exploring story and place.

This project is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.

Barolus and Company come to Letchworth and Stevenage

Earlier this year, Drawing Voices completed phase 1 of The Ripple Effect 2026 Project, bringing a bespoke pop-up performance to Together groups in Letchworth and Stevenage, dementia support groups run by Memory for Hertfordshire under the Alzheimer's Society.

From January to March, our designer Laura and writer and director Anna worked with participants across four sessions at each group, exploring stories through art-making, music and conversation. We made postcards of familiar and unfamiliar places, directed live musical improvisation with actor-musician Annabel, and gradually built the world of two travelling storytellers, Barolus and Aliana.

Those sessions shaped everything: the characters, the tone, the stories. Anna then took all of that into the rehearsal room to write and direct the show, while Laura pulled together the costumes and props. Together with performers Annabel and Calum, the team brought Barolus & Company's Storytelling Extravaganza to both groups in mid-March.

What struck us most was how vocal our audiences were, responding to the performers, joining in, and making the performance their own, including some strong opinions about Barolus's trousers. That kind of exchange is exactly what live theatre can do, and it was a joy to be in the room for it.

We are now working through feedback from both groups as we develop phase 2, which will bring Barolus & Company to new audiences in Hertford and High Wych later this year.

This project is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.

We are excited to be a part of Arts in East Herts 2025!

We are thrilled to be partnering up with Carers in Hertfordshire to offer 6 bespoke sessions for carers that involve creative mark making, voice work and singing, and mindful drawing. We are excited to have Alice Blackstock back with Drawing Voices who was our lead artist on the Ripple Effect project and to be working with vocal coach and singing teacher Joanne Pierce. We are thrilled that so many of the sessions got booked up so quickly, so please find out more with the links below.

Online Drawing from Art History Tuesday 30th September 7.45 - 8.30 pm 

Online Singing and Voice Work Tuesday 7th October 7.45 - 8.30 pm 

Online Drawing Trees Tuesday 14th October 7.45 - 8.30 pm 

In-Person Creative Marks Wed 15th October 10.45 am -12.15pm Christ Church Ware Memorial Hall

Online Mindful Drawing Tuesday 21st October 7.45 - 8.30 pm 

In-Person Creative Marks Wed 22nd October 10.45 am -12.15pm Sawbridgeworth Memorial Hall

Website & Audio Trail Live

The ripple effect: connecting with dementia through our riverside Trail

We are counting down to opening our riverside trail in Hertford on 21st Sept where the local community can listen to the creative writing soundscape created by artist Alice Blackstock to accompany the textile artwork Can You Draw a River?  We are pleased to be included in the Arts for East Herts showcase and Hertford Eco Fest

The carers walk on Sat 21st Sept will open the trail and we will be meeting outside Hertford Museum at 10.30 am Saturday 21st September. Please email laura@drawingvoices.org to RSVP so we can provide refreshments at the end.

Printed maps will be available from Hertford Library, Hertford Museum or downloadable from here closer to the time.

The ripple effect: connecting with dementia through our riverside Trail

We are thrilled to present a riverside trail in Hertford where the local community can listen to the creative writing soundscape created by artist Alice Blackstock to accompany the textile artwork Can You Draw a River?  This will go live on the 21st September and to open the event we have organised a Carers walk as part of the Arts in East Showcase We will be meeting outside Hertford Museum at 10.30 am Saturday 21st September.

This will then run as a self-guided until 31st October. Printed maps will be available from Hertford Library or downloadable from here closer to the time.

 

This is a 1 mile gentle walk along the River Lea for all carers (not just those affected by demenita) to meet, chat and enjoy the audio trail that has been made for the project "The Ripple Effect: Connecting with Dementia". The 6 tracks you will hear along the trail form a piece of creative writing, read by the artist, that partners the high-quality textile artwork  "Can You Draw a River?".

This work was created collaboratively by lead artist Alice Blackstock with 60 people whose lives are affected by dementia in 3 Hertfordshire communities. We are hoping to finish the walk by viewing the textile artwork at a nearby location TBC (it is a large work at 4mx2.5m so we still looking for a venue). The walk and riverside audio trail should be 45 mins including stopping points. 

Please bring a smart phone with headphones connected to access the QR codes on the route.  Alternatively, there will be a limited number or audio devices & headphones available to reserve please contact laura@drawingvoices.org

The Ripple Effect: Connecting with dementia

Spring 2024 saw the start of the Ripple Effect project, which was conceived and directed by Drawing Voices working with lead artist Alice Blackstock and Hertfordshire-based dementia service, Hertswise.

This project delivered sessions in Spring 2024 across three Hertfordshire communities and included people experiencing dementia, their carers and support staff. Inspired by the theme of ‘water’, Alice Blackstock led participants through a series of targeted creative activities designed to encourage interaction, self-expression and community-building, culminating in the creation of Can You Draw a River?

The ripple effect of the project is now spreading outwards. Since the sessions, a poetic soundscape has been created by the artist to complement the piece, and the work will be exhibited in October 2024 at the Drawing Rooms, Bermondsey. Through this exhibition, as well as via a high-quality digital version of the artwork, a documentary and a riverside trail, members of the public will be encouraged to reflect and gain a fresh perspective on this vulnerable group within their own communities. 

“Thank you for the hard work of all the facilitators, their care, preparation of activities and attention in creating the sessions for us. Their natural interpersonal skills in helping clients and carers feel relaxed throughout. Their friendliness and approachability was appreciated by all, thank you”

— Hertswise Group Leader

More about Can You Draw a River?

This large textile artwork at 4x2.5m was woven on a transportable, folding loom to allow participants across three Hertfordshire communities to work collaboratively on one piece. It takes its shape from a sketched response that Alice’s father made during a drawn conversation in the later stages of dementia when he had become non-verbal. The warp and weft of the weave are made from his shirts, which were cut and sewn into 600m of fabric for the project.

Participants worked in a fluid way, choosing which areas to work on, picking colours and bringing their own creative style to the work. You’ll notice that some sections are very neat, while others are more meandering, imprecise and tactile – reflecting the ever-changing nature of rivers in the natural world.

Through collective participation and individual expression, this piece transforms the experience of a single individual into a celebration and a shared voice for people affected by dementia.