đ€ A huge thank you to Dr Alma Clavin from the University of Galway for co-hosting our session âCommoning Knowledge through Creative Practiceâ at the #RGSIBG Annual International Conference in Birmingham!
With this yearâs theme â âGeographies of creativity / creative geographiesâ â it was the perfect opportunity to showcase how artistic and creative methods are enabling new forms of knowledge production, collaboration, and community connection.
đ In our session, members of the PARTICIPATE research cluster (https://participate-research.org/) and their collaborators presented, performed and workshopped practices of commoning knowledge in innovative and inspiring ways:
𧔠Dr Mary Ikoniadou and Dr Carole Hunt (University of Lancashire), in collaboration with Billy Kiosoglou, shared a powerful piece exploring âPatterns of Migrationâ through textile narratives of home and belonging. Using personal items and textile collections, they wove stories of movement, memory, and identity across local and global contexts.
đ Dr joanna leah (PhD, FHEA) and Dr Liz Stirling slightly blew our minds with a performance of âBodies of Waterâ, blending feminist ethnography and film to reflect on their research as and with wild-swimming women in Ireland and England. Weâre hoping to see this show go on the road (or river)!
â»ïž Harriet Wadsworth brilliantly demonstrated âcommunity participation in post-consumer textile waste managementâ. Her hands-on session showed how localised systems of textile waste regeneration can facilitate community participation and engagement in sustainable fashion consumption in a way that is widely accessible.
đ„ Dr Tenley Martin presented the âBradford Dhol Projectâ which explores organology including drumming as music outreach working with South-East Asian communities and asylum seekers. Teaching a room full of people at a conference to participate in a percussion performance provided a convincing demonstration of how her research builds confidence and can bring fragmented communities together.
đ± Dr Alma Clavin, working with artists like SeoidĂn O’Sullivan and designers (including myself), is supporting communities in Dublin to respond to a significant urban green space deficits that impacts health and wellbeing. Projects like Mapping Green Dublin and Urban Grit use creative, participatory methods â from arts interventions to capacity-building workshops and participatory mapping â to foster greener and more equitable cities.
PS: We should definitely have more drumming at the next conference! đ„đ¶