Public Webinar — Rupture, Reframed (1) Reading Rupture: From Reacting to Reading

Reading Rupture: From Reacting to Reading Rupture often arrives as interruption: a moment when the flow of things is broken and we cannot continue as before. In social, ecological, and justice-rooted work, these moments are increasingly common — and frequently met with speed, control, or premature resolution. This first public RinA webinar opens an inquiry into what it means to read rupture rather than react to it. Ruth Cross begins from a specific moment in her own practice, drawn from years of work in complex political contexts including migrant justice organising and arts-for-justice education. She situates this experience within her ongoing inquiry with Research in Action (RinA), where rupture is understood as a lived social phenomenon that emerges between people, shaped by wider histories of power and structural pressure. Using short, carefully chosen conceptual anchors — including John Shotter’s notion of “striking moments” and Erin Manning’s work on “minor gestures” — the session explores how rupture first appears not as a clear problem, but as a subtle shift in atmosphere, relation, or attention. The final part of the webinar opens into a facilitated reflexive dialogue, inviting participants to bring their own experiences into the inquiry. This is not a discussion aimed at solutions, but a shared exploration of how perception, presence, and regulation shape what becomes possible next. Rupture, Reframed is a three-part public webinar series exploring how we work ethically with moments that disrupt, expose, and change us. Developed by RinA Fellow, Ruth Cross, during five years of inquiry in complex political contexts, this series treats rupture not as a problem to fix, but as a live social phenomenon carrying crucial information about power, responsibility, and what becomes possible next. Across three sessions, participants are invited into a shared public inquiry — moving from perception, to accountability, to collective repair — through lived experience, carefully chosen conceptual anchors, and facilitated reflexive dialogue. You are welcome to attend the whole series or a stand alone event.