From the Edge: A Cement Fields Symposium

Contested zones on the edges of urban expansion, liminal spaces where nature and industry intertwine, and peripheral sites of infrastructure are increasingly holding unique ecological and social potential in the response to climate change and environmental injustice.

These locations, often defined by their contradictions – neither urban nor rural, common nor private, productive nor wastelands – are often being explored by artists, activists, and communities as places to nurture resistance, care, and learning.

Throughout the day, we will hear three case studies from arts organisations that are cultivating regenerative art practices in sites like these. Round table conversations and panel discussions will bring together artists, curators, and communities at the forefront of reimagining the care of our environment, to collectively consider how we can collaborate as the guardians and agents of climate action.

Ahead of the event, Floating University Berlin will be hosting an online reading group to expand upon the themes of the symposium – stay tuned for more details!

The case studies that will be presented on the day are:

Intertidal Allotment – Cement Fields

Intertidal Allotment is a long-term project by Andrew Merritt in Sheerness, which takes inspiration from the traditional allotment form and expands it into the intertidal zone – the area of the seashore covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide. By exploring the unique egalitarian model of the allotment, which is often found on the edge of urban areas, and transposing it to the space where the sea meets the land, the project seeks to revitalise sustainable and communal methods of food production and foster new forms of community stewardship. The aim is to create a modular and sustainable system that responds to the needs of local people, and which can be replicated in other coastal locations.

Beneath the Pavement, the Marshes – Three Rivers

Beneath the Pavement, the Marshes is a three-year action-research programme developed with Friends of Crossness Nature Reserve that brings together the practices of artists, ecologists and activists whose work responds to the unique challenges facing Bexley’s Marshes today; including the struggle to stop a new carbon capture plant from being built on Crossness Nature Reserve, which would destroy a natural carbon sink, and result in the loss of one of only four Local Nature Reserves in the borough. Grounded within the community-led efforts to protect Bexley’s threatened marshlands, the programme is creating a network of new alliances between communities fighting to save vital local landscapes, and leading national and international artists and ecologists, to collectively test out different ways of sensing, sharing and protecting the ground beneath our feet.

The Growing Project – Grand Union

With community development and regenerative practices at its core, The Growing Project is a circular, transformative community programme in the heart of Birmingham. Working with artists, designers, gardeners, ecologists, Grand Union work compassionately to facilitate and support people experiencing physical, social, environmental and economic disadvantages. Together, as they remediate land and bring life back to spaces, they develop communal knowledge and support up-skilling to create sustainable life practices. Since 2019, Grand Union have made seven different growing sites across Birmingham, three of which are in the heart of the city on canal-side sites, and are currently working towards creating a new Flower Farm community business.

From the Edge is a Cement Fields Symposium with Three Rivers, Grand Union, and Floating University Berlin. Supported by The National Lottery Community Fund through their Climate Action Fund.

Tickets

This event is free to attend, but booking is required.

We have 10 bursary places available, each providing £50 to support travel and expenses for attendees. Bursaries are offered on a discretionary, first-come, first-served basis. They are intended for those who are on no/low income, self-employed, or who would not be able to attend otherwise, with no obligation to provide evidence.

If you have any questions about bursary tickets, contact us at info@cementfields.org.