This spring Northern Ireland-based international artist facilitators Mayte Segura from Mexico and Mayte Rulz Cala from Spain created a project that guided participants through a 12-week on-line process combining mindfulness and dance. They used Flamenco-inspired movements to explore emotions relating to their experience of the pandemic and you can see a film of this work here. The project also inspired intercultural cohort artist, David Paulin, to create a short work of art inspired by his engagement with participants and their experience.

David Paulin is an actor, facilitator and coordinator from Belfast. Since graduating from The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama David has worked as an actor in London and Belfast, appearing in 'Blackout' at The Lyric Theatre (dir. Philip Crawford) and touring 'Macbeth' with The Young Shakespeare Company (dir. Christopher Geelan). He has facilitated creative engagement projects in a range of settings, including several projects in Hydebank Wood College and Women's Prison. He is also Founder and Project Manager of The Compass Project, an initiative that trains bartenders in Mental Health First Aid and explores mental health through creativity. He's very excited to be working with Terra Nova as part of the intercultural cohort.

Through a series of questions and creative responses we will examine how creative intercultural work can fight isolation and build social connection.