The “SCENES OF CHANGE” project is an artistic laboratory created in collaboration with AVOPRI (Prison Volunteers Association) for the Albolote prison library (Granada), funded by the Europe Challenge 2025-26 program of the European Cultural Foundation.
In this project, we work with the prison’s inmates, using literature as a starting point to create living art pieces. Through performance, dance, music, and theatre, they remember, reflect, and transform their own stories, aiming to strengthen their self-esteem and connect with society as active and committed citizens.
The Albolote Penitentiary Centre is located 24 kilometres from the city of Granada. It houses an average of 1,200 inmates spread across 80 different modules. Various programs focus on education, training, and preparation for integration, emphasising social skills for real reintegration. The centre is particularly interested in supporting cultural and personal development initiatives that promote the well-being of inmates in all their forms.
The main challenge we face when working with inmates is providing them with effective tools for their social reintegration once they regain their freedom. This process is particularly complex due to the diverse and difficult circumstances of each person in prison, which include social stigma, a lack of skills to cope with change, and disconnection from civil life.
The challenge is to offer resources that strengthen their self-esteem, self-knowledge and empowerment, essential elements to facilitate their active and participatory integration into society. Building self-confidence in one’s abilities and self-expression is a key element in this process.
The project consists of implementing a PERFORMANCE CREATION LABORATORY linked to the library of the prison, where professional artists connected to the community will train and guide inmates in the creation of performance pieces. These creations will be based on the analysis of selected literary texts, which will serve as triggers for personal and collective reflection.
The objective is to use artistic expression to foster self-esteem, self-knowledge, communication, and active participation, reflecting transversally on topics such as inclusion, diversity, ecology, respect, and civic responsibility.
The laboratory will be developed through various activities inside the creation laboratory: specific workshops on performance techniques (performance, dance, music, and theatre), a reading club with books aligned with the project’s objectives, a film forum with films and videos that complement the topics covered, and the creation of individual and collective performance pieces.
The exhibitions, both physical and virtual, will not only reinforce the process experienced but also help empower the participants and facilitate the dissemination of the work within and beyond the centre.