This month we are sharing our space with Circle of Hearts, a creative program working with families in Berlin, many of whom arrived in the city as refugees. The ceramic objects in our installation were made by children in the studio. All works are for sale and the proceeds help keep the sessions free. We spoke with photographer and founder Alexander Gnädinger about how it began and what these days look like.
Voo: For everyone who has not heard of it yet: what is Circle of Hearts in your own words?
Alexander Gnädinger: Circle of Hearts is a free creative weekend for kids and their mothers who are rebuilding life in Berlin after leaving their homes.
Hosted at Garten Studios, it centers on hands-on making: pottery, painting, glazing, food and community. It is not therapy by definition, but it works a lot like it. We put free play and creative making first. The healing might happen quietly underneath.
V: Can you share a situation with a child or a family that really stayed with you and showed you what the program can do?
A: I am grateful just to witness so many little wonders.
The moment that really stayed with me was when the kids who once needed this place began bringing their Berlin friends “home”, proudly showing them what they built here. Cats, turtles, mushrooms, even tiny TV towers shaped out of clay.
Next door, the mothers are breathing their own kind of reset through yoga and meditation, softening the air in parallel with the kids shaping clay.
The morning cakes baked for everyone.
The jar of honey a child brought for us from their family’s garden in a Ukrainian war zone.
And I will never forget the BVG worker who showed up with a child who had got lost on the tram. Instead of going home, they found their way to the studio together. When someone asked what kind of place they were going to, the kid answered: “It is the place where we can do everything.”
V: If someone from our community is touched by your project, what is a simple way they can get involved beyond buying something at the store?
A: If you feel the call to help, we will find a way that fits your time and interests.
Friday afternoon studio set-up or Sunday evening clean-up are always a blessing to have support with. On the weekends, there are tasks, and clay, for helpers too.
Dates and contact details are on our website: www.circleofhearts.de
**See the installation exclusively in-store at Voo until early January.