VISIONARY INSTITUTE
Pierogine Collective 2024-ongoing co-creative project with ICOS Women’s Group and the land and its multiple creatures.
A living artwork: a group of women using creativity, ritual, and collaboration to build new forms of belonging, solidarity, and cultural exchange.
Pieroginie is an invented word for a world we are building. Pieroginie Collective, is a playful fusion of pierogi—the humble filled dumpling and of Polish word for goddesses- Boginie
In summer 2024, the ICOS Women’s Group was invited to take part in a Community Arts Research Project supported by The Cultural Spring. I was selected as creative lead by the group, as my lived experience as an Eastern European migrant woman gave me a strong connection with their stories and perspectives. This co-creative art research project was a chance to explore creativity, identity, intimacy and belonging through a distinctly Eastern European lens.
The project unfolded in two phases. The first was practice-based research: together we asked what it means to migrate to the UK as Eastern European women, and what barriers are faced along the way. This research was grounded in common connection to the land, dialogue, storytelling, and shared reflection. It created the foundation for the second phase, which focused on creative delivery.
Phase two took shape as a series of extended, retreat-style workshops designed with and for the women of ICOS. These 3–4 hour sessions combined artistic practice, therapeutic activities, and communal rituals. Each workshop created a safe and culturally resonant space where participants could share migration stories and personal experiences in ways that extended beyond words. The workshops were structured around three interwoven elements: Therapeutic practices such as breath work, gentle movement, dance, yoga, and somatic exercises, helping participants to ground, relax, and connect. Art, land practice and crafts as both intuitive expression and skill-sharing, with activities including foraging walks, plant-based making, sewing, embroidery, and storytelling through craft. Hospitality, sharing food recipies and feasting as a framework for community. Each session began with a seasonal herb infusion ceremony and ended with a shared, potluck-style meal. Food culture enabled conviviality and allowed space for reflection, storytelling, and imaginative world-building.
Out of these sessions Pieroginie Collective emerged. This name draws on ‘pierogi’, (traditional Polish dumpling) and a Polish word for a godesses- ‘Boginie’ and its a new playfull word that speaks to female shapeshifting and earthbound power and land-based tradition that is joyfull, carry memory, constructs caring culture, and sustenance across generations. We are an emerging artist collective, rooted in Eastern European women’s stories, practices, and resilience.
We have continued to grow with the support of The Cultural Spring through the A Space to Create and Community Cohesion projects. In June 2025, we partnered with Threads in the Ground to host a Community Feast as part of the Sunderland Food Festival. Using donated oyster mushrooms and other seasonal ingredients, we prepared traditional Polish dishes that celebrated cultural heritage and environmental sustainability. The feast welcomed forty-one local residents, creating a warm space for cultural exchange and connection.
In August 2025, Pieroginie Collective took over the EXPO Pavilion at Keel Square, Sunderland. This live exhibition showcased artworks exploring migration, friendship, and culture, while also inviting the public to take part in creative sessions, shared meals, and storytelling.
In November 2025 we went for a creative seasonal retreat and the foremothers and forefathers celebration and feast to The Burnlaw Centre.
In March 2026 we took part in Space to Create exhibition at the Washington Art Centre.
Also in March 2026 we hosted a major event: Pieroginie Community Feast. The event celebrated the diverse cultural heritage of participants by sharing traditional foods with the wider Sunderland community. It also showcased artworks and artefacts created throughout the project. Those included handmade table decorations, lanterns, bunting, tablecloths, and water jugs that created welcoming atmosphere and reflected the collective’s creativity and diverese cultural identity. The feast also included interactive workshops and “conversational menus,” which encouraged conviviality and meaningful discussions while sharing food. This approach created an inclusive environment that fostered deeper connections, cultural exchange, and dialogue around the challenges faced by migrant women
Pieroginie Collective continues as a living artwork: a group of women using creativity, ritual, and collaboration to build new forms of belonging, solidarity, and cultural exchange.