participation.
title. forest of imagination
date. 2023
description. Now in its 10th year, Forest of Imagination took over the Assembly Rooms in Bath for a month to connect young people to nature through play, exploration, creativity and wonder. Offering a vast array of free workshops, activities and installations, Forest of Imagination was experienced by thousands of young people and their families, opening minds and hearts to the natural world. Myself and Emily Boxall acted as lead artists and co-curators for the Documentation Space, which was the hub for interactive workshops, talks, school visits, and self-led activities. We created a playful, reflective and imaginative space, one that provided activities suitable for all ages and which had collaborative and individual elements, turning inspiration into collective action.
Full information can be found here.
title. snakes & ladders: border edition (tate exchange)
date. 2019
description. Myself and a collaborator from Queen Mary were invited to participate in a Tate Exchange residency at Tate Modern in June 2019, themed around ‘bodies in motion’. We created a giant special edition Snakes & Ladders board representing the global system of border controls, which permits some people to move freely around the globe while others face numerous obstacles. The ‘snakes’ and ‘ladders’ tiles were designed by a group of 13-14 year old pupils who we worked with, and the board was then free for the public to play and interact with during the week-long residency. The board was paired with DIY ‘World Passports’, which were designed to encourage visitors to consider aspects of their identity beyond their nationality. The project stimulated really productive conversations over the complexities of global migration in an accessible and participatory way. We have had numerous requests for the board to be part of future events, so watch this space!
Full information on the residency can be found here.
title. crisis at christmas
date. 2018
description. I was an arts and crafts leader for Crisis at Christmas 2018, running various creative activities for the guests of the centre.
title. Aquí y allá/Here and there
date. 2018
description. Aquí y allá/Here and there was a participatory art project running throughout 2018 wherein numerous artists were sent bi-monthly prompts relating to the theme The Streets/'The Public'. The images featured here were my response to the prompt 'Of the ends and utopias'. I created 'The World's Smallest ZAD' drawing on traditions of environmental protection and imbuing flowers with meanings. The World's Smallest ZAD becomes a personal prayer and symbolic act of resistance and hope for the future.
My responses, and those of other participating artists, are collated on the project's website here.
title. east london speaks : east london listens
date. 2018
description. I was commissioned by the ESRC to participate in their Festival of Social Science, which aims to reach new audiences with social science research. I interviewed Whitechapel residents about their experiences of the area and transmitted their responses at listening stations overlooking the market. The project demonstrated the collective identity and concerns of this multicultural area of London in an accessible and engaging format. Queen Mary public engagement blog post here.
title. art the arms fair
date. 2017
description. I was a core organiser and lead artist for Art the Arms Fair, which used art to counter the arms trade. Running at the same time as the notorious DSEI arms fair, ATAF was a weeklong exhibition and programme of cultural events. We secured the donation of a new Banksy piece and ultimately raised over £200,000 for Campaign Against Arms Fair and Reprieve, as well as making headlines across the world. In 2018, Art the Arms Fair was named a new radical.
title. world otter day
date. 2017
description. I was commissioned by the International Otter Survival Fund to run art-based workshops for primary school children on World Otter Day 2017. After learning about otters, the children produced banners to be displayed in their school, and then created otter masks for an outdoor team games where hungry otters hunted for fish!