Target reached!
The extra money will go towards exhibiting the work made within the workshop period.
Reclaimed
Beckenham, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
'Reclaimed' Ceramic Crowdfunder Participating Artist: Alice Davies, Brody Chipchase, Maria Roy, Celeste McEvoy and Zaratea Gården Hurtig.
HOAF are happy to announce Reclaimed, a collaborative art project at Beckenham Place Park. The project combines the practices of Dave Sohanpal and Maria Roy, who are facilitating a joint workshop in the grounds of the park and mansion. [Participants will join from HOAF associated refugee and migrant charities, Create Without Borders, Women For Refugee Women and Micro Rainbow.]
Dave sought asylum in the UK and his writing and painting give voice to his reality, acting as a form of resistance and defiance against the hostile environment. Dave has organised funded walks as a means of improving mental health for other refugees, taking place in botanical gardens across London, combining both physical and educational stimulation as well as providing the chance for social interaction outside of institutions in the sanctuary of natural environments.
Maria is a London-based artist whose practice explores craft through sustainable materials extruded from archaeological and biological methods. The materials she uses are predominantly sourced from her surrounding environments, resurfacing objects of the past and creating a new context by which to understand them - stones, metals, glass as well as the debris of past visitors. Maria has been leading ceramic workshops in the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands, with the aim to stimulate local people to engage sustainably with their environment.
Both artists engage in the untold stories of landscapes, uncovering and exposing the hidden archaeology and politics of society. Over the course of an afternoon, these twinned methods of engaging with materials beneath and around us will shape the course of the workshop. The workshop will be open to 13 participants from HOAF’s associated refugee and migrant charities.
In the initial part of the workshop, Dave will be inviting participants to explore Beckenham Place Park grounds, interacting with the surrounding environment by collecting waste objects of interest on the way. We will be encouraging participants to see objects that may inspire or be used in their vessel building at a later stage.
We will then move onto the second part to the workshop where participants will be introduced to Maria and her ceramic practice. Participants will be provided with clay extruded from Beckenham Place and, after a brief demonstration, invited to build vessels inspired by what they have encountered throughout the day. The workshop will stimulate an awareness of historic and current uses of diverse mediums, as participants learn about the clay and other materials they will be creating from. These ceramic vessels will be fired and exhibited at a later date, with the aim of connecting the archaeological culture of Britain with the present migrant and refugee community.
We hope this workshop helps to settle individuals in an unfamiliar environment through an understanding of the soil they stand on, with the knowledge that connecting participants to the natural environment can improve mental health and reduce internal struggles. This workshop provides a chance for participants to meet and integrate with others in similar situations, outside of an institutional context, asking questions such as: how are the surroundings similar or dissimilar to places of their past? & what can we notice and create from when we take the time to look around us?
A very special thank you to all the talented artists who have donated works to this project!
Alice Davies https://www.alicedavies.co.uk/
Brody Chipchase https://www.instagram.com/chipschasebrody/
Maria Roy http://mariaroy.net/
Celeste McEvoy https://www.celestemcevoy.com/
Zaratea Gården Hurtig. https://www.instagram.com/gaardenhurtig/
Participating Charities:
Create Without Borders https://createwithoutborders.co.uk
Women For Refugee Women https://www.refugeewomen.co.uk
Micro Rainbow https://microrainbow.org/
All non-for-profit, the budget will cover:
Artists' day rate, transport for participants, lunch catering, refreshments, materials, kiln firings and van hire. Any remaining money will go towards exhibiting the workshop’s outcome.
Alice Davies: Untitled. Ceramic. 2019. 27 x 20cm. £200 now £100
Brody Chipchase: 'Goblin Boot #001'. Ceramic. 2018. 44 x 20cm. £130 now £75
Maria Roy: 'Goblets'. Ceramic. 2022. 11 x 8cm (Made to order). SOLD.
Maria Roy: 'Anatomical Ceramic Vase'. Ceramic. 2020. 19 x 18cm. £95. SOLD
Celeste McEvoy: Untitled. Ceramic. 2022. 14 x15cm. £100. SOLD
Zaratea Garden Hurtig: 'Chelsea Ornament'. Ceramic. 2022. 26 x 25cm. £190 now £95
This project successfully funded on 2nd August 2022