As part of my 2 year project exploring allotment and environmental hubs across the UK, I undertook a 3 month residency at Bradley Fold Allotments, South Manchester. supported by Grants for the Arts, Arts Council England. The project was my first collaborative and site specific residency resulting in text, photography and video works exhibited as part of an “open shed” event.
Work produced was informed through a process of dialogue and exchange between myself and the allotment community, pulling weeds and cooking for residents with surplus crops in exchange for stories and images which represented their relationship to the allotment and each other. Final works for the site for co-curated by myself and the residents.
A number of guest artists were also invited for 2 days residencies on site to respond to the allotment, its community and my own work, which resulted in both a group show of the work produced, but also from the suggestions of the allotment community – a new artist collective called Common Ground which have since taken up a number of collective projects and workshops exploring sustainability and collective labour in the arts. Common Ground are Tracey Eastham, Kai-O Jay Yung, Claire Tindale, Simon Jones, Liz Wewiora and Tasha Whittle. For information about the collective and the overall project can be found here
