Mona Kastell Eco Designer

16/12/2025

'The Red Tree' and M.E. - One leaf at a time: an international art project to raise further awareness of ME and the need for funding for research, treatments and a cure.

Open Up by Mona Kastell

This leaf holds the view from my window — a small patch of the world I’ve come to know intimately while living homebound with ME Long Covid.

Inside it, I’ve filled the page with all the life I long to return to: birds, insects, animals, flowers, trees.

The wildness that continues whether I can join it or not.
The cut-out leaf is a reminder that this is only one season of my life. Even in stillness, I am part of nature’s cycle — connected, changing, becoming.

“I am free to open up to life.”

A quiet hope that healing, like spring, will come in its own time.

04/07/2025

This is a deeply meaningful project I’ve been part of —gently, and in small moments over the past two years, in a very small way—just a few days here and there, as my energy allowed. It’s been the most fitting final collaboration I could have hoped for.

To end on a poignant project that invites us to reflect on what it means to protest amid climate and political upheaval - with care, embodiment, and deep listening—has felt like a quiet blessing.

This marks the last project I’ve contributed to, and with it, the closing of my chapter in the creative industry. I’m no longer working, as I continue to honour rest, healing, and what comes next.

The project centred accessibility by supporting team members with access needs, including myself, - my participation shaped by fluctuating capacity. It highlighting the ongoing impact of conditions such as Long Covid in the creative industries, and the importance of normalising access support for all artists and workers as part of building more inclusive and holistic sustainable ways of working.

Grateful to have been involved in even a small way. 🌿

Penny Chivas – Where We Choose To Stand
Premiering at Tramway, 19–20 September 2025
🔗 tramway.org/event/5eecede6-0fe0-4278-ae9c-b2fe00c4a75b
Photography: Brian Hartley

Lead artist: Penny Chivas
Composer: Nicolette Macleod
Ecoscenographer: Mona Kastell
Lighting designer: Laurie Loads
Producer: Sheena Miller (the Rural Touring Agency)
Sustainability Collaborator: Katy Dye
Outside Eye: Skye Reynolds
Choreographic Mentorship: Dora Frankel
Dramaturg: Emma Jayne Park
Audio Cleaner: Sonia Killmann
Marketing & PR: Wendy Niblock
Project support workers: Amy Dakin Harris, Hannah Deus Draper & Elspeth Thomson
Thanks to Patricia Suarez, Anne Kjær and Alasdair Sim and Collaborator Workshops

31/05/2025

UPDATE: Thank you for all the kind words and reflections. I wasn’t expecting so many responses, and it’s touched me deeply. I’m taking my time to sit with it all and truly appreciate the care.......
20 years in the theatre world and 2 years post official Long Covid diagnosis… the time has come to close the door on my studio space.

April marked the end of my tenancy at Scot Art St Margaret’s House — home to my creativity for 13 years. An emotional milestone after pouring so much of my creative life into this space.

This move has taken a huge amount of cognitive, physical, emotional, and mental energy. It’s taken me weeks to regather enough spoons to share this with you.

For now, I’m “retiring” from the industry—for now. Letting go of what no longer fits, not because the love or passion is gone, but because the illness has made it impossible to continue in the ways I once could. My nervous system, my energy, my brain—all ask for a different pace, a different way of being.

So here I am, at a threshold I didn’t ask for, but one I’m choosing to meet with as much grace and courage as I can. Peeling back layers. Making space for something new.

It’s not a defeat, but a part of my journey. A necessary step in honouring where I am, and where I might be heading.

Thank you to everyone who shared this space with me in different ways over the years—from studio buddies to collaborators, visitors, and kind souls who passed through. Your presence, creativity, and care made this space more than just four walls—it became a home for ideas, connection, and shared moments I’ll always hold dear.

Deep gratitude to the few dear friends and my Mum! who held me through this transition.

Endings are rarely tidy. But in the mess and grief, I’m stepping into the unknown—with a body that asks for slowness and a heart learning to trust that uncertainty isn’t emptiness, but possibility.

Keep an eye on this space while I transform and embody Creativity & Wellbeing for Wholeness.

18/03/2025

Great to see the The Air We Breathe film trailer live, I designed the costumes 3 years ago. The world premiere is in Glasgow Short Film Festival on the 22nd, so excited to share the film with the world in the place the film is set.

Full credits in the link
+ my team
Key Costume Standby: Alex Yates
Costume Maker: Carenza Dickens
Props maker: Johnathan Elders & Paul Sims

15/03/2025

As I celebrate my 40th this week (14th March), stepping into a new decade marks a shift in how I see myself, embracing the wisdom that comes with age and the deepening of my connection to both my inner world and the world around me. I am reminded that I am in a deep introspection chapter.

Today 15th March is Day —the 5th since this whole Covid shebang began. For some, these past five years haven’t been about moving on but about being stuck—ill, homebound, locked down while the world carries on.

Before Long Covid, I thrived in my work as an ecological theatre designer & shamanic practitioner, deeply connected to creativity, Nature, and movement. Travel, dance, & collaboration filled my days. But then, everything changed. Now, life revolves around careful energy management, navigating fluctuating symptoms of severe fatigue, dizziness, tachycardia and breathlessness, among others - mainly homebound and using mobility aids while advocating for accessibility and support.

Long Covid is invisible, and recovery is non-linear. I’ve learned that surrender is not giving up—it's healing. Through pacing, rest, and community, I’m finding new ways to live.

Long Covid has taken much from me, but it has also deepened my understanding of resilience, rest, self-compassion and the need for systemic change. We deserve to be heard, supported, and cared for—not just when we are at our worst, but always.

💜 Small acts of kindness can make a huge difference: Believe us, respect our limits, & offer practical support.

✨ We need: better accessibility, healthcare reform, and research funding.

Holding space for everyone still fighting for recognition, care, and recovery. There is always hope for better days ahead, and together we can create the support and change needed to move forward. 🌿

13/02/2025

I made a wee fabric banner to be added as part of the Long Covid Support Banner, "a collective tapestry representing people living with Long Covid and their caregivers. This banner will be the centrepiece of our Long Covid Awareness Day campaign on March 15th 2025."

Can you gess which one is mine? 🙂 ❤
The second one it is indeed, well spotted! Made from costumes remnants, it is the outline of the Pentlands hills, my favourite view so close to home. It's made from lace to symbolize the harsh yet fragile journey of recovery.

Surrender stands for releasing resistance and fully accepting where you are in the present moment, listening to each symptoms and their messages.

It’s not about giving up—it’s about letting go of the struggle against what is so that healing can unfold.

Surrender is a deep trust in the process, allowing life to flow and accepting your limitations with compassion.

It’s a shift from fighting to allowing, from fear to trust, and from resistance to openness 🙏🌻💫

10/02/2025

TWO DESK SPACES AVAILABLE FROM 01/03/25 in a two window space at Edinburgh Palette, ground floor

Looking for two respectful individuals with similar eco values to share my studio. All desk-based creative or administrative professionals are welcome. Please note: no work that produces strong odours or toxic fumes is allowed (e.g., oil painting, non eco-friendly practices, etc.).

I'm an ecological designer/maker currently healing from Long Covid, so I'm only occasionally at the studio.

You'll be sharing with another artist who would be using the other desk. It is possible to rent both desk spaces if you need a larger workspace. This is a great opportunity to get a foot in the building and apply for your own studio space.

Friendly bright 2 window studio furnished desk spaces:
>Edinburgh Palette St Margaret’s House ground floor.
>Accessible by lift. LGBTQIA+ friendly.
>Large desk, comfy chair, shelves, sofa, and wifi.
>£93/month for each desk space - includes bills.
>Possible flexible date. Short stay welcome (1month notice).
>Building opening hours: 9am-9pm Monday-Friday, 9-6pm Saturdays and 12-5pm Sundays
>Building facilities: kitchenette, communal room, mail room, swap library & parking

Please send me a few words about you and your work and ask for viewing.

Share with your friends & colleagues
Mona (she/her) contact[@]monakastell[.]com
www.monakastell.com

23/12/2024

Working as an artist with a chronic illness following a post-viral infection has turned my world upside down. My capacities have significantly diminished, and my accessibility rider is ever-evolving to meet my changing needs.

This photo shows me lying down during last month 2-day R&D, with Penny Chivas ('Where we choose to stand' at Tramway). PoTS makes it hard for me to remain standing or even seated, draining a lot of energy and often forcing me to pause and rest—despite having a day off between work sessions.

I’m so thankful for those who’ve pushed for accessibility to be a priority in the Arts, though it still requires plenty of self-advocacy.

It was a difficult decision, but I won’t be taking on any more work for now and have cancelled my winter teaching at RCS for now, as the combined cognitive, physical, and spiritual demands have simply become too overwhelming.

Right now, I’m making extra room for recovery—learning that sometimes the most creative choice is to honour my health first. This is a long chapter of healing, and I know I am to re-emerge as myself again—challenges and all—carrying deeper self-knowledge forward.

Performer/Choreographer: Penny Chivas
Composer: Nicolette Macleod
Ecoscenographer: Mona Kastell Eco Designer
Project support worker:
Producer: Rural Touring Agency
Sustainability Collaborator:

Supported by , the National Lottery through

29/08/2024

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xl97lnw87o?fbclid=IwY2xjawE9CwpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaFTiZQ6wHIc1aYuj9y0WKS9LfPCQgEBk2EXKJmApeemFEuMfjiMDhnkWw_aem_6BzA-ZuQdT52nvzIgGLf5A

Paolo Nutini, Franz Ferdinand and Honeyblood have joined calls for the government to reinstate funding.

24/08/2024

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/22/scottish-arts-sector-appeals-to-ministers-over-devastating-budget-cuts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwY2xjawE1R3tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYY55tU2Z0p4zMdGP5cyVpqNZ8kybJ5KKPVhCwYc1nEQZE0i6fXj_lZfdA_aem_tBH75byCJESXBEWbGslk2g

More than 100 organisations criticise loss of Creative Scotland funding for local artists during Edinburgh festival

22/08/2024

Devastating news to the Scottish Arts scene.

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the creative and cultural sector across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.

24/07/2024

A fantastic 5 stars ***** for Penny Chivas's work in progress of STOP in the The Skinny for which I'm doing the ecocenography (about 2 days every few months while we create the work - perfect Long Covid rest balance). Well done team!

"A central thread of the work is the literal voices of activists, captured from interviews across the UK, offering rarely-heard perspectives on the experience and motivations of direct action."

"This dynamic is deftly established by the work’s opening, in which Chivas gets up from the audience, sits down centre stage, and observes, "I was over there and now I’m here, alone." She develops this dialectic via gently escalating invitations for audience participation. In a world that’s as obsessed with empowerment as it is with spectacle, this softly Boalian play of subjectivity has real potency."

Lead artist: Penny Chivas
Music composer: Nicolette Macleod
Ecoscenography: Mona Kastell Eco Designer
Producer: Sheena Miller
Funders: Creative Scotland
Support by: Tramway, The Work Room

Penny Chivas's developing work uses movement, music, interviews and empathy to represent radical climate activists’ physical and existential struggle.