What does community mean to you?

Community, to me, is where people feel they belong somewhere, and we take care of each other, and we help out the ones who are not finding their ways. If it’s in the city, communities can help out those who are looking for space, and when they feel they want to belong, they help each other. It’s something that can offer things that individuals cannot offer by each person – as a group, each member can bring out their skills or expertise and share with others, share their knowledge and wisdom. A community is a collective – it could be a space or it could be virtual – where people can bring their skills, their knowledge and wisdom, and help out each other, and especially those who could be neglected or don’t have a place yet in the city or where they are. And so yeah, they can all get better off.

How do you find your community?

For a long time, when I was younger, I didn’t really look for communities. It was also related to not having any direction in my life. I was finding communities through people I know – I went to their communities and I kept realising that that’s not where I feel I belong. So I always joined somehow and then left. I didn’t really try to join anything for a long time. Since a couple of years, I’ve been going through some sort of a transformation, and I’m finding things based on my needs and interests instead of just following people. It used to be more like photography, something related to my peers, but now also my identity as a queer person is growing stronger. I’m trying to join spaces where I feel I belong – even better if they’re related to my interests as well. I recently went to a queer filmmaker meeting, and I’m trying things where my interest is and where I feel I belong more.

How do you celebrate yourself and your community?

I try to give out what I can, and I like helping out each other, especially now that I’m in my 40s and I see young people – young artists who are struggling with money or finding friends. I’m starting my own business, and it’s not just about making money; I’m trying to give spaces and help those who didn’t have luck, who weren’t as lucky as I am and are still struggling. By helping those people, I feel that I’m doing something for the community.

So you celebrate yourself and your community by helping others?

Yeah.

What do you think makes this project unique?

I heard about it quite a few years ago, and I only started coming one or two years ago. I found it really special – first of all, having a space in the city is already a big plus, where people can finally have a feeling like home. I also go to other peer events and networking places, but when there’s just meetings and no dedicated space, it feels more like a gathering. But when there’s an actual space, people feel like it’s their neighbourhood home – you can just go and there are like-minded people who always try to help each other. So it feels not just like a community, but more like a home. And in that kind of inviting and comfortable space, people try to help each other – with the topics and sessions that happen regularly. I see the topics as super interesting, with people bringing their best skills. I think this is very unique; I’ve never seen anything like this in other places.

Can you share a moment that you’ve lived here, or at Stretch, or part of the projects that has been meaningful or stayed with you?

At Stretch I didn’t really join as a member, but I was there as a videographer, observing people – how they interact with each other, because that’s what I usually do when I film. I saw the transformation of the people over three days; it was very interesting how the energy of the room changed from the beginning. By the third day, it was much more relaxed, and people were interconnected with each other. Witnessing that kind of change from a third-person point of view was really special, and it made me want to experience it from the inside next time. I also took some sessions and courses here. Even when I joined just as a videographer for outdoor events, it felt like families and friends working together, always relaxed. I don’t feel like an outsider – that’s how people make me feel here.