Black Feminist
Ecopoetics
Online Lectures
Every Wednesday.
6:30 pm - 7:45 pm (GMT)
6 September - 27 September
Embark on a captivating exploration of Black Feminist Ecopoetics, inspired by Phoebe Boswell's exhibition "A Tree Says [In These Boughs The World Rustles]" at Orleans House Gallery.
Phoebe Boswell, ‘(A Memory of The) Mother.’ Moving Image Diptych: A Memory of The) Mother | A Longing To Wander, 2023.
This transformative journey embraces an interdisciplinary approach to thinking through knowledge and memory, inviting you to participate in the call and response of telling stories with trees, elders and the possible worlds we speculate together. Boswell’s work beckons us to raise important epistemological questions, engaging intergenerational dialogue as we strive to express the essence of life.
Throughout this course, you will be introduced to diverse artists, authors, and thinkers exploring themes of Blackness, ecology, kinship, memory, Afrofuturism, poetics, and Black feminist worldbuilding. By exploring the interconnectedness of these themes and aesthetics, we equip ourselves with new (or old) tools to navigate a world impacted by climate change and entrenched in the legacies of colonialism, anti-Blackness, and patriarchal binaries.
Expect an immersive experience, delving into thought-provoking films, engaging in lively discussions, sharing your thoughts and opinions, and participating in short speculative writing exercises that ignite your imagination. Together, we will honour the voices of the past, envision a future grounded in compassion, and craft poetic expressions that echo and uncover some of our deepest yearnings.
In this nurturing space of introspection and dialogue, we encourage you to explore the questions that have long stirred within you, seek guidance for the present moment, and co-create possible futures through aesthetic, literary and sonic realms working from the basis that we have all we need to inspire change.
This journey is open to all—no expertise is needed, just an open, willing heart and a desire to dream big. Join us as we weave a tapestry of shared experiences, forging connections that bridge generations and embracing trees as a wellspring of knowledge, inspiration and guidance for manifesting the impossible.
Lecturer:
Ama Josephine Budge Johnstone
Ama Josephine Budge Johnstone is a speculative writer, artist, scholar and pleasure activist whose praxis navigates that which she has termed “Intimate Ecologies” to explore Blackness, aesthetics and queer, pleasurable, interspecies futures. Ama is an Associate Lecturer at University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins and also teaches at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. Ama’s wider intra-disciplinary work thinks through sustainable ecologies of care and more-than-survival for BIPoC women and queer folk in the arts and academia. She has had essays, short fiction and art writing published internationally, and has been exhibited across Europe. Ama is a curatorial fellow with Frame Contemporary Art Finland (Helsinki) and EVA International (Limerick); a participant of the first Postnatural Independent Programme (Madrid); and was the 2020/21 Keith Haring Fellow in Art and Activism with Bard College (New York). Ama’s work has been translated into Twi, German and Swedish.
Learn more about Josephine’s practice here.
Photo courtesy of Zachary Maxwell Stertz
About Phoebe Boswell:
A Tree Says
[In These Boughs The World Rustles]
"A Tree Says" transforms Orleans House Gallery into a sanctuary and forum for contemplation.
In this new artwork, artist Phoebe Boswell engages the audience at Orleans House Gallery and the surrounding woods, connecting different generations through questions and answers with the trees. Inspired by Hermann Hesse's 'Trees are Sanctuaries,' Boswell interviewed a diverse group of elders based on questions gathered through an open call. The installation includes soundscapes, sculptures, drawings, videos, and a collaboration with piano virtuoso Pat Thomas, encouraging visitors to explore both the gallery and nature.
Boswell invites the audience to reflect on their personal strengths, vulnerabilities, triumphs, and sorrows through storytelling and listening. The artwork focuses on memory, history, place, and the importance of sharing wisdom between generations. Through the elders' recollections, visitors can connect with the wisdom of the natural world
This course is made possible by generous funding from the Art Council and is a collaboration with Orleans House Gallery. Located in Twickenham, Orleans House Gallery is a modern art gallery surrounded by stunning gardens overlooking the River Thames. Its centrepiece is the elegant Baroque Octagon Room. With a wide range of exhibitions, live events, educational opportunities throughout the year, a beautiful wild wood to explore, a shop, and the cozy Stables Café offering coffee and tasty light refreshments, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Admission to the gallery is free of charge.