GLOW
Collaborative creativity for sex worker wellbeing, safety and solidarity
Our GLOW project has focused on creating collaborative art around sex worker wellbeing, safety and solidarity. GLOW was inspired by the idea of ‘Art Util’ (useful art). Spanning over three months, we used art as a tool for wellbeing and social change, and investigated sex worker safety and solidarity through talking as creative peers.
Working together with participatory artist Harriet Hall (interference-art), we explored ways art can boost wellbeing, undertook research about sexual health and developed a collective voice and creative vision. Through iterative collaborative making and shared decisions, we have made impactful, meaningful art that we can be proud to share.
Including this amazing film that shares the collective wisdom of ‘Our Boundaries’!
Our video shares 7 boundaries that can benefit everyone. Through group conversations, our initial mind-mapping around ‘things that make us glow’ turned into exploring and defining boundaries that support self-care and safety. Together we created text and textures, colour palettes and patterns, photographs and handwritten fonts, script and voice over. Our silhouette portraits play with the idea of power, protecting and representing sex workers on our own terms.
We launched ‘Our Boundaries’ video on International Sex Workers’ Day (2nd June annually) to celebrate and share the collective wisdom of our creative community on a day that calls for solidarity and sex workers’ rights.
‘Solidarity in Our City’
We’re delighted to announce that ‘Solidarity in Our City’, another artistic outcome from GLOW, has been selected for the Manchester Open Exhibition 2026,
As well as sharing our video for others, artist Harriet Hall helped turn ‘Our Boundaries’ into art prints for Our Room. They are installed in our 1-2-1 rooms as a resource and reminder for anyone here an appointment at Our Room – from peers in our creative community – that you are not alone, and you deserve self-care, safety and solidarity.
Boundaries help prevent emotional exhaustion.
Emotional: personal space; expect respect; accept help.
Boundaries define what is ok and respectful.
Sexual: my limits; words; images; touch; gestures; consent.
Boundaries help us feel in control of our work.
Time: protect my energy; structure my day; say no/yes.
Boundaries are personal limits.
Physical: food; drink; rest; space; privacy; my needs.
Boundaries support mutual respect.
Money: if I lend to others; how/when I’m paid; my budget.
Boundaries helps us communicate clear expectations.
Belongings: things I need; how people treat my things.
Boundaries help us spot when something is unsafe.
Relationships: Am I ok with how people behave with me?
Boundaries are personal limits
Setting Boundaries is Self Care
Across the project, we found that we’d investigated three main themes and explored actions that we, and others, can take to support them…
Solidarity – Glowing Together
Self-care & Wellbeing – Nurturing Our Glow
Safety – Guarding Our Glow
We worked with a range of artmaking methods, and made many creative pieces including:
- Designing an inclusive Welcome banner featuring different languages
- Silhouette portraits filled with mindful mark-making
- Creating mindful monochrome drawings
- Mood journey mapping – making art to take notice of our feelings
- Writing Gratitude Letters of kindness to ourselves
- Creating bespoke symbols to represent feelings
- Handmade beaded fidgets to help regulate in anxious times
- Collaborative research around Chem Sex and sexual health
- Making handwritten fonts and developing 7 boundaries
- Creating voice recordings to bring Our Voice to ‘Our Boundaries’
- Sgraffito to create textures that became animated backgrounds in our video
What did Our Participants take away from this project? Check out our feedback boards that map out our project journeys to find out!
“I’m always on the go – so I often don’t get to step back and savour what I’ve done. Reflecting is important to help feel the feelings when we’re making art take effect. I’ve enjoyed looking back”
“I loved it when we all got the same brief at the start – but we went off and took our own directions. It’s like a jigsaw when we all came back together at end.”
“I’ve enjoyed GLOW because I’ve realised that working with other people as well as working alone shows we are all
C R E A T I V E.”
“I’ve found mark-making therapeutic and helped my anxiety. It helps me with my self care.”
“I feel positive & powerful.”
“This project has made me feel supported. Working together on an artwork makes me feel grateful.”
Not only has GLOW had a huge impact on our participants, but it is felt throughout our organisation, delivery partners, and supporting artists:
“Talking together round the table opened up space for shared enquiry and curiosity. Some project participants talked about the need for clear boundaries in sex work, such as when a client shows up having taken drugs.”
“We’ve created so much good stuff together, and had so many genuine conversations. From peer researching information about Chemsex to painting colourful backgrounds and seeing how powerful it is to record and hear our own voices in the video… We’ve explored, tried, tested and learned a lot – and asked lots of questions together too. It all informs what we do next together at Our Room.”
“It’s good to see how much of a positive impact sessions had on people’s wellbeing and feelings of isolation.”
Huge thanks to all Our Room participants and staff who created this project in collaboration with lead artist Harriet Hall @interferenceart, and toOglesby Charitable Trust for supporting our work and this project.
