Fluid Earth Conference

(Feature image above, a still from Matt Green 'Source Material', video, 2025 - glitch ivy.)

The Fluid Earth Conference

Friday 21 November

A one long day conference about our Fluid Earth season and the many issues we have encountered and revealed. There will be contributions from many of the artists, reflecting on their work, and discussions about the wider implications and contexts.

Saturday 22 Novmber

The Friday programme is followed by an (optional) Saturday morning experimental workshop by Bridget McKenzie, founder of Climate Museum, exploring further some of the ideas in the context of the earth crisis, and looking at what it all means and how we can all contribute to deeper thinking and action.

Fluid Earth conference programme outline

10.00 - doors open. Coffee

10.45 intro: Veronica Sekules

Part One: Living with water.

How we can live in symbiotic relationships with water, who and what disrupts that, and what to do when systems break down? How can artists highlight pertinent issues & create an atmosphere for discussion and change?

Chair: James Murray-White

11.00 - 11.45
Ann Jiang - symbiosis with water
Sue Brinkhurst - material displacement
Liz Ballard - flowing springs

11.45 - 12.15 Discussion

Part 2: River activism

Between community, politics, industry, art and culture. Creating different narratives and strategies to respond to pollution.

12.15 - 12.45

Oloche Johnson- Niger Delta (see Irregular Hourglass image & text, below)
Russell Biggs - Gaywood River

12.45 - 1.15
Discussion

1.15 - 2.15 Lunch (basic food provided but do bring your own packed lunch, or a pot-luck contribution, if you prefer)

Part Three: Edges / Ecotones

Considering the edges of different eco-systems, including borders of fields, forests, coastline and suburbs and the cultural comparisons, equivalents & metaphor. Looking at our compromised positions in relation to nature and how nature poses challenges.

Chair Nick Acheson

2.15 - 3.00

Louis Neale - Landscapes in flux
Michelle Wood - Responding to edge landscapes
Caroline Forward - Living on the Edge

3.00 - 3.15 Break

3.15 - 3.45

(CWxWC): Countermapping the Ecotone
Liz McGowan : Points of contact

3.45 - 4.15 Discussion

4.15 - 4.30 break

Part Four: Entanglements & Queer perspectives

Queer fluidity, fragmentation, imperfections. How does it look to take lateral perspectives on nature-culture- environment and pursue resistance to normatve logics? How can we move away from gendered and/or binary perspectives?

Fabia Pollard chair

4.30- 5.15

Helen Kilbride
Matt Green
Rebecca Hearle

5.15 - 5.45 Final Panel Discussion
5.45 Closing words, VS

Followed by reception at GroundWork

6.15 drinks and exhibition viewing at GroundWork & see films by other artists who took part in the residency

Rosa Whiteley
Hilary Powell
Sean Savage Ferrari

Sabīne Šnē

Mahmood Pouyandeh

Saturday 22 Nov. 11-1

Then on Saturday morning, nearby at Baum Studio, 32-33 Bridge St, PE30 5AB;

Bridget McKenzie

Workshop

How it all Connects

At Baum Studio, 32-33 Bridge St, PE30 5AB

Tickets £15

I am taking a deep dive into Earth system science - freshwater, saltwater, water in plants and bodies, how plants protect land from flooding and coastal erosion, how photosynthesis and carbon sinks contribute to climate action - how all of these connect and relate to our Norfolk landscape.

This workshop is an invitation to work alongside me, to play with different consistencies of ink, watercolour and ink pencils. You might try gum arabic, oil, wax, charcoal, pastel and homemade natural pigments in the mix too.