RECOVERY
LIFE
PORTRAIT
Mark Prest founded visual arts charity Portraits of Recovery as part of his own recovery . He provides an update as its second annual Recoverist Month draws to a close
F rom Instagram reels exploring sober curiosity to a gallery takeover themed around chemsex and a museum panel discussion on barriers to recovery among South Asian women , it ’ s been a hectic few weeks .
Greater Manchester-based Recoverist Month ( DDN , October 2023 , page 10 ) is the UK ’ s only arts-based awareness event that places people in recovery from substance use centre stage . And ever since I started my own recovery journey in 2008 , it ’ s been a burning ambition to make it a reality .
RECOVERIST MANIFESTO In part , it was inspired by the radical outlook and language of the ‘ Recoverist Manifesto ’, a powerful collective statement that unites the voices of individuals in recovery . The manifesto was born out of a project led by Portraits of Recovery and curated by Dr Clive Parkinson , former director of arts for health at the Manchester School of Art . It is now also available on our website in Italian , Dutch , Lithuanian and Gaelic .
At its core , the Recoverist Manifesto champions the direct voices of those in recovery , advocating for the transformative redefinition of recovery identities . It doesn ’ t
Ghetto Fabulous view people as mere passive participants in recovery but instead empowers them as ‘ recoverists ’. In case you haven ’ t already worked it out , ‘ recoverist ’ is a portmanteau word , blending recovery and activism .
The spirit of the manifesto runs right through Recoverist Month , which coincides with International Recovery Month each September . Now in our second year , our aim is to embed the event within the region ’ s annual cultural calendar , a bedfellow to the more established Pride and Black History Month .
QUEER TAKEOVER One of this year ’ s finale events was a queer takeover of Manchester Art Gallery curated by the project ’ s lead artist Harold Offeh and five other queer international artists . Called Let ’ s Talk About Chemsex Presents …, it explored themes around sex on chems , intimacy , desire , respect and consent within the LGBT + community – outside of London , Manchester has the largest chemsex scene in Europe .
Chemsex could be seen as a response to internalised forms of homophobia , and art lends itself to exploring issues around sex on chems by opening up liminal space for the building of mutually trustful , sharing relationships . At the event Offeh debuted a double A-side EP called Anticipation <—> Anxiety and A Warm Hug , which he cocreated with a group of people with lived experience of chemsex . Beyond the Surface at The Turnpike Gallery is an exhibition profiling ten years of Fallen Angels Dance Theatre ’ s work in the Greater Manchester borough of Wigan . Running until 23 November , its focal point is a newly commissioned work called Samadhi . An immersive digital dance , light and sound installation , the work aims to bring audiences to the heart of healing journeys experienced by people in recovery . Chester-based Fallen Angels exists to support people in recovery from addiction and those living with a mental health condition to transform their lives through dance , performance and creativity .
SOBER CURIOSITY A digital element to this year ’ s Recoverist Month was Sober Curiosity , a series of street-based interviews , disseminated as Instagram reels , by established content creator Scott James (@ projectcerti ). A photographer and filmmaker , he has amassed a large social following for his laidback interviews with passersby , which engage with mental health and promote self-acceptance and wellbeing .
For Recoverist Month , @ projectcerti turned its attention to the theme of Sober Curiosity and Portraits of Recovery commissioned the creator to film individual conversations with people from five locations across Greater Manchester . Subjects
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