Plant Theatre for Plant People Call for Participants

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS Plant Theatre for Plant People 2021 British Art Show 9 - Aberdeen Art Gallery

Dates: Thursday 7 October – Sunday 10 October 2021 Deadline to register interest: Sunday 5 September 2021, 23:59hrs

About the project We’re looking for adults from AB postcode areas who have passion for ecology and / or spirituality to take part in an exciting project with acclaimed artist Grace Ndiritu as part of British Art Show 9 at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

The new participatory project, Plant Theatre for Plant People, will form a community who connect with plant spirits and understand their intrinsic value to humans. Participants will learn from plants through workshops led by Ndiritu, whilst also discussing ecological activism and considering what makes a community. The aim of the workshop is to create a community of plant people that can ask plants specific questions about their creativity, what they could learn from them about the function of art, and how humans could better relate to plants in the 21st century.

Workshop week Workshops will explore themes of ecology and spirituality and we encourage anyone with an interest in these areas to get involved. Workshops led by Grace will include outdoor mediations, spiritual practices, activist exercises and the design and making of costumes, masks and protest signs supported by local artists. Workshops will take place from 10am to 6pm Thursday - Saturday and lunch will be provided each day. The workshop week will culminate in an outdoor public performance on Sunday 10 October 2021. Participants will ideally be available for the entire workshop run and the performance.

Grace Ndiritu Grace Ndiritu (born 1984, Birmingham) lives and works in Birmingham. Ndiritu studied at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton and De Ateliers, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Ndiritu’s art and activism is inspired by alternative communities, spirituality and lifestyles. In 2017 she initiated her live art project, The Ark, in the migrant suburbs of Paris, France. This ‘model for living off-grid in an urban setting’ brought together scientists, artists, gardeners, economists and spiritual practitioners. Other ongoing projects involving diverse groups of people in performance, meditation or protest include Healing the Museum, which seeks to re-activate the ‘sacredness’ of art spaces. Protest, an important facet of Ndiritu’s practice, plays a part in Plant Theatre for Plant People, her project for British Art Show 9. With her fashion and economic research project COVERSLUT©, Ndiritu works with refugees, migrants and young artists to create a PAY WHAT YOU CAN clothing line dedicated to class warfare.

British Art Show 9 www.britishartshow9.co.uk British Art Show is a landmark touring exhibition that celebrates the vitality of recent art made in Britain. Organised every five years by Hayward Gallery Touring the exhibition brings the work of artists defining new directions in contemporary art to four cities across the UK. British Art Show 9 is curated by Irene Aristizábal and Hammad Nasar. Aberdeen is the launch city for BAS9 and it will then tour to Wolverhampton, Manchester and Plymouth.

British Art Show 9 was developed at a precarious moment in Britain’s history that has brought politics of identity and nation, concerns of social, racial and environmental justice,

and questions of agency to the centre of public consciousness. The artists presented in the exhibition respond in critical ways to this complex context; imagining more hopeful futures and exploring new modes of resistance.

How to register your interest Please confirm your interest by emailing [email protected] with the subject headline Grace Ndiritu Project.

Please include: a few words introducing yourself and why you are interested in the project, your full name, email contact and phone number. Please also confirm that are available for the entire workshop and performance period 7 – 10 October 2021

For any enquiries or further information, contact Jessica Barrie, Curator, Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums: [email protected]

We welcome all members of the community. https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/jobs/equality-diversityfand-inclusion- employer

Deadline Interest must be registered before midnight on Sunday 5 September 2021.

About us Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums (AAGM) is proud to be part of Aberdeen City Council. We care for rich and diverse collections of art and history which together are recognised as a Collection of National Significance. We present these to the public at our five venues: Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen Maritime Museum, The Tolbooth Museum, Provost Skene’s House, Aberdeen Treasure Hub Museum Centre. Aberdeen Art Gallery is a joint winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2020.

Find out more at www.aagm.co.uk