Square Hole
Co-producer, identity design, facilitation
Square Hole is a self-initiated project created with illustrator and educator Jhinuk Sarkar, exploring the intersections of neurodiversity, employment and the creative industry. The idea grew out of our conversations as two neurodivergent creatives reflecting on our lived experiences and employment paths into the creative industries.
With funding awarded from the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), we were able to bring the project to life and begin exploring production and sound, new to both our practices. One of our main aims was to create more access points to the sound content to give greater accessibility and understanding, something we were able to develop later in the project phase.
Narrator Sazzie Whovitse
We interviewed creatives from various practices to share their stories, perspectives and experiences.
The podcast became very revealing, shining a light on the barriers neurodivergent people face when both looking for and in employment and the strengths and huge potential they bring to creative teams.
Going back to one of our first aims and using the podcast as a launch pad, Jhinuk and I designed a series of sensory workshops.
Using smell, texture, sculpture, collage and drawing to interpret ideas and experiences discussed in the podcast.
These workshops not only provided inclusive and engaging ways for people to use the material, but also challenged us to expand our own practices.
Image: Workshop attendees at Oxford Brooks University
“Using different material sources can inspire and stimulate imagination. Interesting workshop!”
— Workshop attendee
Images from workshops
“The workshop showed me to be more open to others about my struggles with dyslexia and to express myself through colour”
— Workshop attendee
Since its launch, Square Hole has grown in reach and impact. We have delivered workshops and talks within universities, schools, creative agencies, and disabled arts organisations, each context offering new insights. In higher education, we encouraged debate around inclusion in the arts; in schools, we showed young people that creativity can be an open, welcoming space; in agencies, we highlighted practical approaches to supporting neurodivergent talent.
This is an ongoing project and we are consistently developing ways to engage organisations, employers and cultural spaces to think about access for neurodivergent individuals.
Image: Lorna & Jhinuk
