INTRODUCING …

‘A TRIBE BEYOND’

As part of Beyond Mother Love’s ongoing research into the dynamics of rare friendships that cross cognitive divides, our interdisciplinary team, comprising artists and movement psychotherapists, is developing an innovative exploration:

A group of people (a “tribe”), with a balanced distribution between individuals with and without cognitive disabilities or neurodivergence, come together over shared relational curiosities, to create a site for excavating a broader and truer human experience. For some, this is antidotal to a sense of ennui with the impoverished state of modern friendship and socialising.

In this space, individuals traditionally deemed unproductive or impaired actively contribute to and indeed spearhead the creation of a new social order that is beneficial to everyone involved—making it a truly co-created space in which we shape and are shaped by others within relationship to people who are different from us.

Through creative explorations, we are learning together to:

• Look beyond our received, narrow vision that limits who we consider potential friends. Instead, they retrain their perspective to see those who communicate or behave differently not as simply recipients of kindness, but as real, potential friends.

• Remove the social masks and gently transgress the social scripts that are designed to shield vulnerability or avoid the so-called “cardinal sin” of awkwardness. Instead of rushing to fix awkward moments, we approach them with curiosity, allowing for the possibility that they might lead to authentic and meaningful connections across differences.

By ‘creative exploration’, we mean making a safe space for interactions that may not typically be approved within our current culture. Through movement, sound and silence, playfulness and improvisation, we experiment with alternative ways of being and relating—ways that support genuine connections and contribute to the ongoing process of culture-making.

A Tribe Beyond becomes a location for relational adventures:

• Here, silence with a non-verbal person is not experienced as “empty” or lacking in conversation but as cultivating the forgotten skill of being with another, without words. It reminds us of the value of shared silence and attuning to the unfolding exchanges that exist beyond cognition.

• Here, repeating oneself to a friend with memory impairment is not seen as a burden, but as a shared act of relational pattern-making, and is honoured as another form of conversation.

• Here, hand flapping, rocking, and echolalia are not considered problematic sights and sounds, but are embraced as part of our shared social orchestra; valued as rhythms helping to form a rich sensory setting. Stimming is received as a gift—an offer of co-regulation and a powerful reminder to honor and boldly attend to our own sensory needs.

• Here, a bold expression of shameless self-flattery is neither judged as inappropriate boasting nor dismissed as socially unaware. Instead, it’s welcomed as an invitation for everyone to shed unnecessary inhibitions and artificial modesty. This expression is celebrated as an act of cultural leadership that expands the acceptable boundaries of emotional expression in public.

We believe in supporting a community where every individual feels respected and safe. As we come together, it’s essential to practise respecting healthy boundaries and safeguarding each other. By doing so, we create a space where everyone can thrive, feel valued and contribute meaningfully.

What is learned from these sessions will inform some of the fictional scenes within the film. We believe that everyone in our society is better off when we mix with people who think, communicate, or behave differently from ourselves.

If you would like to join the group or find out more, please email Jen Logan at hello@beyondmotherlove.com

Additional Information:

A Tribe Beyond forms part of the wider research work being conducted by the filmmaking team for Beyond Mother Love—a documentary about mixed-ability friendships in partnership with Vue Cinemas and King’s College London.

For more information, including details on our safeguarding and data protection policies, please email Jen Logan at hello@beyondmotherlove.com