DO YOU SEE ME? by Lorraine Pryce, co-created with Ngombo Chansa. 
This project began as a personal quest to celebrate Black and brown women and birthing people. There has been so much negativity surrounding our births and the impact that racial inequality is having on our parenting journeys. Black and brown women and birthing people are x4 and x3 more likely to die in the perinatal period. The statistics are important and there is still so much change that needs to happen to stop more of us becoming part of these statistics. But there is also celebration to be had. We are powerful, beautiful parents and our lives are worth celebration. From pregnancy, through birth to those precious first moments of a new human in the world and the continuation of life as we grow. There is so much for us to share and see in ourselves. There is an alternative for people to see us, not just the colour of our skin.
What if instead of meeting our births with fear, we instead embraced our power to birth? What if we shared the beauty of our birthing bodies? What if we embraced our experiences and shared the realities of our worlds? What if the world saw all of us, not just our skin? What would the narrative be? 
Lorraine is a mother, photographer and a doula, passionate about people having positive and empowered experiences during their pregnancy, birth and parenting journeys.
Ngombo Chansa is a mother, entrepreneur and budding podcast presenter who aspires to inspire others to connect to the magic of life that is all around us.

Do You See Me

WE MUST REST IN ORDER TO DREAM by Josie Tothill, co-created with a number of people with experience of Social Care who are fighting for change, Alison Treacher - Co-Secretary of CaSWO, Natalie Summers, Julia, Oliver, Nudrat, Khadijah and Anonymous, who asked not to be named to avoid retaliation from adult social care.
This installation invites you to take time to rest and listen to the voices of people who have experience of social care. We have the collective wisdom to reimagine what support could be and the collective power to make it happen.
It is an honour to work in social care; it is joyful but it is hard. For most the conditions and pay are poor and we must navigate supporting people in a world that oppresses them. Many disabled people cannot access the support they need due to racism, queerphobia, poverty, persecution of the mentally ill, and fundamental ableism in our society. Disabled people and the workers in this sector need a revolution in social care!
You are hearing the voices of people in receipt of care and support that I work for, workers that I organise with and family members in Bradford who care for each other. In these conversations we dream of what our world could be like and ask: how do we get there? What do social services look like post-capitalism? What is a revolutionary understanding of mental health, disability and support?
We mustn't burn out fighting for change. We must rest in order to dream.
Josie Tothill is born and bred in Bradford and now lives and works in Manchester as a Personal Assistant supporting disabled people.

We Must Rest in Order to Dream

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS by Alice Parsons, co-created with young people from Bradford and the Youth Strike for Climate.

In 2018, Indonesia became the latest country to announce it had plans to move its capital city. Jakarta, the current capital is sinking and struggling with rapidly declining air quality.

Moving a capital city is a huge opportunity to reshape and reimagine what a capital city can be. Bradford is the UK’s highest city above sea level, with a radical history and one of Europe’s youngest populations. What would it look like if Bradford became the UK’s capital city?

When we think of capital cities, most of us paint an iconic image. We picture busy, buzzing places, often the seat of power and decision making. Capital cities are seen as centres of culture and commerce and often they represent a country and its values on the world stage.

But this image is changing and our capital cities are moving, some are even sinking.

When It Rains It Pours uses archival footage and a newly produced audio collage to present musings on an alternative to organising, cities, the climate crisis and decision making.

Alice Parsons is a producer, facilitator and researcher from Liverpool who has been based in Bradford for four years. For this piece she has worked with found archival film as well as producing a new script for audio.

With thanks to Yorkshire Film Archive and the National Science and Media.

Common Wealth Theatre

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