Installation: Minus Pollinators at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
In early 2022, artist Freddie Yauner and I came together for a meeting of minds, discussing our shared interests in food and farming and its many beautiful and ugly faces. Freddie casually shared the seeds of an idea, whereby he had taken a classic café drinks menu and crossed out all of the items that require insect pollinators to exist. The idea lingered in my mind with the shocking truth that about 90% of drinks were unavailable, an unimaginable scenario.
Shortly after, we were both independently approached by Karishma Rafferty, curator of the Food Forever summer festival at Kew Gardens, to propose ideas for the festival’s programme which is focussed on the subject of food security. Freddie and I decided to collaborate and further develop the café menu idea, whereby we would position a dystopian future in the form of a drinks kiosk where the staples such as coffee, teas, juices, chocolate etc are no longer available. All of our facts were verified by Prof. Jeff Ollerton, ecological scientist and author and Prof. Phil Stevenson, Head of Biological Chemistry at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The mobile drinks kiosk acts as an exhibition display, with artworks painted in pollen by Freddie and a take-away pamphlet written by me, detailing the importance of insect pollinators for our collective future on this planet.
For the full experience, visit the Food Forever Corner on the weekends of 21&22 May, 11&12 June and 18&19 June 2022.
Talk: ‘The Circle of Design’, 24th May 2022
As part of Clerkenwell Design Week, I am chairing a panel discussion titled, ‘The Circle of Design’.
Description: In an age of increased circularity within manufacturing and design processes, our panel explore and dissect some of the products and spaces we use and inhabit, and how they are constructed, consumed and disposed of. Chaired by Max Fraser with Jonas Pettersson (BAUX, Form us with Love), Simone Suss (Interior Design Declares / Studio Suss), and Sophie Thomas (Useful Projects).
The talk is free to attend and takes place at 1pm on 24th May 2022 in the BAUX Acoustic Lounge at Old Session House, 23 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0NA. See you there!
Event: Live interview with Ilse Crawford and Nani Marquina
Leading Spanish rug company, nanimarquina, invited me to interview British designer Ilse Crawford, company founder Nani Marquina and her daughter and Managing Director, Maria Piera Marquina on the subject of wellbeing. This was the first talk as part of their 3-part Woven Talks series.
The live event took place on 17th November 2020 on Zoom
