Open Space - March 2026: Speaking Without Words: Collage as inquiry into parents' experiences of the education system - with Artemi Sakellariadis & Sharon Smith

Speaking Without Words: Collage as inquiry into parents' experiences of the education system 

This session introduces a CSIE project that began with a series of powerful, emotionally charged workshops with parent carers of disabled children exploring their experiences of the education system. These conversations surfaced experiences that could not be adequately conveyed through traditional reporting or easily translated into policy language. Seeking an ethical and resonant way to share what parents had entrusted to the project, Artemi Sakellariadis invited Sharon Smith to explore collage as a method for holding and disseminating that emotional depth. Drawing on notes from the workshops, Sharon developed a series of collages that use fragments, texture, and juxtaposition to make visible forms of knowledge that often remain unspoken.

Artemi will begin by showing the short film that documents the project, followed by a discussion of the origins and intentions of the workshop project. Sharon will briefly explain her process of making the collages, including the evocative, embodied, and ethical dimensions of working in this medium. Participants will then be invited to respond through discussion followed by writing and/or by creating a small collage of their own using simple materials to hand. This shared creative space will open up questions about voice, representation, and the potential of arts‑based methods to support more inclusive, democratic forms of reflection and co‑production with parents and carers of disabled children.

Presenter biographies

Artemi Sakellariadis is a teacher committed to the development of more inclusive education.  She was awarded a PhD from the University of Bristol in 2007 and, since then, has been director of the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (www.csie.org.uk), a national charity based in Bristol.  Her research interests include culture and pedagogy for inclusive education, identity formation for those at the margins, and creative means of representing research. 

Sharon Smith is a researcher and advocate whose work centres on the lived experiences of parents of disabled children and the ways these experiences shape inclusion. Sharon has a 21 yr old daughter who has Down’s sydrome. After completing her PhD at the University of Birmingham, she has continued to contribute to the fields of education, disability studies, and parent participation through research, writing, and community engagement (including as a co-director of Special Needs Jungle), while also working across professional and volunteer roles that support families of disabled children and strengthen co‑production practices. She is the Policy & Parliamentary Lead for the Down’s Syndrome Association.