Rest as Resistance: What we learnt about creativity at our FLEX Lab Retreat
We set out to create something special this year at our Flex Lab Creative Retreat – a space where Black women and non-binary circus artists could take a moment to breathe, collaborate, and grow together.
Born from the Sunday Brunch virtual meetups that were supported by Upswing during lockdown, we realised that creating moments where we could slow down and reflect was important in propelling us forward. Embracing the idea of ‘slow down to speed up’, we created a retreat that stands as a bold alternative to traditional artistic development, prioritising intentional rest and realignment.
This year, the building blocks of the week’s activities were inspired by the words ‘Joy’ and ‘Uplifting’. We brought together 13 circus artists at different levels in their careers and with diverse interests and skills.
The aim was to share our wide-ranging knowledge with each other, develop as artists and simply have some fun. We wanted to take the ‘pressure of performing’ off and try something different – something that wasn’t about perfection, but about exploration.
Artists were able to choose which activities they got involved with. Our aerial and acrobatics sessions were intentionally designed to be all-level, ensuring everyone could participate, discover new possibilities and challenge themselves if they wanted to. A clowning workshop led by Farrell Cox might just make a comeback next year as we saw how much our artists loved diving into playful performance together!
Some of our most magical moments emerged through unexpected collaborations – confirming something we already knew to be true – that powerful experiences emerge when we embrace different perspectives. By sitting down with each artist, particularly those new to the retreat, we better understood their aspirations and could gently nudge them towards creative risk-taking – encouraging them to use the open days to develop their practice.
Two of our artists, Amanda and Chanje dove straight into challenge. Amanda used her contemporary dance background to lead group choreography with 6 of the artists, producing a compelling short piece as part of the retreat. Chanje collaborated with aerial hoop artist Fleur to take a piece that was in seedling stage and push it further towards reality, helping to give a future show its first physical breaths. These moments illustrated how gentle encouragement and open collaboration can rapidly accelerate artistic development.
During a mask-making session led by Aerial Mel – which quickly became a highlight – we created space for pure, uninhibited creativity. Masks were decorated with bright colours to reflect ‘the boldest parts of ourselves’ and help bring them unwaveringly into the room. During the session artists were commenting on how they couldn’t remember the last they got to sit and enjoy themselves painting. It reminded us to find play in every moment, to create without judgement and to never shrink ourselves to ‘fit in’.
Year after year, we witness how breakthrough moments rarely arrive through constant movement, but through intentional retreat and meaningful reconnection.
During our Flex Lab retreat, rest has become a radical act of creative regeneration and we remind ourselves that while we often rest alone, something magical happens when we create space to pause and play together.
Special thanks to: 101 Outdoor Arts for once again partnering with us on this project and providing the space.
Written by Flex Lab’s Lead Artist Rebecca Solomon and Upswing’s Digital Communications Associate Bridie Tyler. Rebecca worked with Upswing to curate the space, collaborate with the artists and deliver an exciting programme based around nurturing talent in emerging artists, and creating a designated space for Black women and non-binary folk in circus. She is joining the Upswing team in a more official capacity in 2025 to work with us on various projects. Watch this space!
Photos by Wunmi Onibudo and the FLEX Lab attendees.