National Justice Museum, 2023
I co-produced an exhibition, which showcased work from the 2020-2022 iteration of ‘Artists in Residence at C2C Social Action. The exhibition was shown within the National Justice Museum Project Lab, from February to June 2023.
It featured work by the women participants and artists who worked alongside them. The artists were me, Sam Gibson, Priya Chohan-Padia and Clare Abbatt. Work included soundscapes, photographs, drawings, poems, a sculpture, and a site-specific intervention on the windows by Small Kid, a Nottingham-based urban artist inspired by imagery within the exhibition.
For visitors, there was a range of engaging activities: a library of books looking at themes relating to the project such as ‘Women on Nature’ and ‘The Well Gardened Mind’, an apothecary inspired by plants grown at the C2C Social Action allotment C2C Grows including Nettle and Elderflower, a ‘build your own bound book’ made from a pack of artists postcards, and an activity inviting the public to draw sounds which they could hear around them (inspired by my soundscape which was playing in the Project Lab)
The National Justice Museum said that the participants and artists on the residency had ‘co-created and co-produced a multitude of artworks that talk about a person-centred approach, ecology, and care, as a unique holistic experience’.
It was a fantastic experience to work with the National Justice Museum who responded to our project in such a gentle and thought-provoking way. Thank you to Andrea Hadley-Johnson, Chiara Dellerba and the team at The National Justice Museum.
Section of the exhibition, featuring a postcard set and an apothecary.
The board displays a set of postcards, which showcases workshops and work produced by artists and participants.
The draws contain the postcards for visitors to be able to take away in a ‘build your own bound book’ format. ‘The Well Gardened Mind’, is an apothecary inspired by plants grown at the C2C Social Action allotment, including Nettle and Elderflower.
Section of the exhibition, featuring texts and drawings by a participant, a site-specific sculpture by myself and drawing by a participant, both made with homemade charcoal, and a mini library of books reflecting the themes of the project.
On the back wall, prints showcasing the work of a participant; her reflections on life told in poems and jokes, comical sketches about animals and being a maturing woman, and copied out texts from authors and poets who she was studying from when learning to read as an adult.
On the right, ‘Homage’, a site specific sculpture I made, using charcoal created at the C2C allotment, by the workshop participants. The sculpture is laid upon a print. The print is of a drawing of trees which surround the allotment and was made by a participant, using charcoal they had made from twigs found at the allotment.
On the the table, a selection of books chosen to reflect the themes of the project such as ‘Women on Nature’.
On the back wall, the musings and copied texts by a participant on the project. In the foreground ‘Homage’ a site specific sculpture by myself on top of a drawing (print) made a participant.
‘Homage’, Charcoal sculpture and drawing.
Within an alcove, a photograph by Sam Gibson, artist and a soundscape by me.
Alcove within the Project Lab. Showing a photograph by Sam Gibson, of a ‘Headdress’ she made, placed on the head of C2C Social Actions support worker, and decorated with Pom Poms, which were made by the participants.
Within the alcove, visitors could sit and listen to my soundscape, ‘A Year in the Life of the Allotment Garden, 2021-2022’, a sound diary, documenting the comings and goings of this peaceful and productive space for community groups and artists.
Sounds include noises from the factory next door, distant trains, bird song and the sound of a lawnmower.
As there are some quiet moments, this is best listened to with quality headphones on.
Section of the room showing ‘Homage’ charcoal sculpture and drawing, the mini library intervention on the window by Small Kind and Chiara Dellerba.
A site-specific intervention on the windows by Small Kid a Nottingham-based urban artist. It’s designed by Chiara Dellerba and inspired by imagery within the exhibition.
Board displaying a set of postcards, showcasing workshops and work produced by the artists and participants.
Draws containing the postcards for visitors to the gallery being able to take away in a ‘build your own bound book’ format.
‘The Well Gardened Mind’, an apothecary inspired by plants grown at the C2C Social Action allotment C2C Grows including Nettle and Elderflower.
The Well Gardened Mind’, an apothecary inspired by plants grown at the C2C Social Action allotment C2C Grows including Nettle and Elderflower.
A library of books looking at themes relating to the project.
‘Women on Nature’ by Katharine Norbury. ‘An entertaining and eclectic anthology of nature writing by women about the ‘east Atlantic archipelago’ or British isles. Texts written through the centuries and to present time, Women on Nature embraces alternative modes of seeing and recording. Katharine Norbury has sifted through the pages of women’s writing to show the multitude of ways in which they have observed the natural world about them.’
‘The Well Gardened Mind’ by Sue Stuart-Smith
This book explores the following: How can gardening relieve stress and help us look after our mental health? What lies behind the restorative power of the natural world? In a powerful combination of contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis and brilliant storytelling, The Well Gardened Mind investigates the magic that many gardeners have known for years – working with nature can radically transform our health, wellbeing and confidence. With illuminating stories of how people struggling with stress, depression, trauma and addiction can change their lives, this inspiring and wise book of science, insight and anecdote – shows how our understanding of nature and its restorative powers is only just beginning to flower.
From Arcadia to Guerilla Gardening, Bomarzo to Little Sparta, Roberto Burle Marx to Fritz Haeg, the Anthropocene to Vibrant Matter: a brilliant and radical A-Z of garden history and garden politicsOrganized as an inventive abecedarium, On the Necessity of Gardening tells the story of the garden as a rich source of inspiration.Over the centuries, artists, writers, poets and thinkers from Capability Brown to Derek Jarman have each described, depicted and designed the garden in different ways. hrough essays, illustrations and an extensive abecedarium, On the Necessity of Gardening reflects on the garden as an abiding metaphor for society and culture.Entries include: Anthropocene, Arcadia, Bouquet, Roberto Burle Marx, Compost, Dumbarton Oaks, Edible Estates, Ermenonville, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Derek Jarman, Kew Gardens, Lawn, Park, Quaker Garden, Queer Ecology, Roots, Vita Sackville-West, Versailles, Vibrant Matter and Zen Garden.
‘Humanity’s place in the natural order is under scrutiny as never before, held in a precarious balance between visible and invisible forces: from the microscopic threat of a virus to the monumental power of climate change. Drawing on indigenous traditions from the Amazon rainforest; alternative perspectives on Western scientific rationalism; and new thinking around plant intelligence, philosophy and cultural theory. The Botanical Mind Online was originally conceived as a trans-generational group exhibition, but was postponed due to the closure of Camden Arts Centre during the Covid-19 pandemic. Until the gallery could open again, they launched this complimentary online programme of new artist commissions, podcasts, films, texts, images and audio, expanding on and enriching the ideas and issues informing the show over at botanicalmind.online. It investigates the significance of the plant kingdom to human life, consciousness and spirituality across cultures and through time. It positions the plant as both a universal symbol found in almost every civilisation and religion across the globe, and the most fundamental but misunderstood form of life on our planet.’
‘The Art of Allotments’ by David Crouch
Allotment gardens have changed – they are now often the setting for community art activities, films, theatre and even opera. David Crouch looks at where culture and cultivation collide. It explores the cultural significance and evolving landscape of allotment gardens, examining how they foster community, self-identity, and a connection to the environment. The book, originally published as The Allotment by Colin Ward and David Crouch, presents allotments as a social phenomenon with a rich history, regional variations, and contemporary relevance, arguing they are a unique expression of human creativity and the right to land.