Tump 39 Autumn Gathering with the Zoönomic Institute and J D Swann

When: 29 November, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Where: Tump 39, Watersmeet Way, London SE28 8PU

Who: Everyone is welcome, and no experience is necessary. Registration essential.

This month, Three Rivers became the first organisation in Britain to join the Zoöp network, where it will work closely with European partners to pioneer a ground-breaking model of collaboration between human and other-than-human life at Tump 39, our community space for arts and ecology in Thamesmead.

A Zoöp (rhymes with co-op) is both an organisational model and a learning process developed by the Zoönomic Institute in the Netherlands, that acts as a framework for collaboration in which the interests of the ecosystems an organisation participates in are actively represented in its decision-making.

We will be joined on the day by Klaas Kuitenbrouwer, Director of the Zoönomic Institute, and our new Speaker for the Living, ornithological investigator J D Swann, who together will be running a series of experimental walks, talks and workshops exploring Tump 39 and the ecological conditions, economic relationships, social dimensions and legal frameworks that operate within this unique urban wilderness cared for by Three Rivers and the Friends of Tump 39.

A fire will burn throughout the day to keep us warm, and a free vegetarian meal prepared by Chef Yogis will be served.

Following the gathering, we will publish a series of actions for Tump 39’s ecological regeneration, recognising that restoring environmental health is a long-term process achieved through incremental, achievable and accessible steps that everyone can support.

SPEAK FOR THE LIVING!

Important Information

• This event is FREE and open to all. However, participants under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
• Limited spaces available - booking is essential. 
• In case of rain, the event will still go ahead! Workshops and conversations will take place at our friends’ space, Tump 53 (15-minute walk from Tump 39). Please keep an eye on your email — we’ll send a confirmation a few days before the event.

• Please note, there is no on-site parking. We encourage arriving on foot, by bike or using public transport.

Nearest Transport Links:

• Train: Abbey Wood Station
• Bus: Eastgate Close (Stop NG) and Manordene Way (stop NC) - Routes 117, 229, 401, 472, 601, 602, 669, N1.

Accessibility Notice:

• The event is wheelchair accessible, but the terrain consists mostly of flat ground with some stony paths, small inclines, and uneven grassland.
• The site is outdoors with limited shelter and may become muddy after rain. Please wear suitable footwear and clothing.

• A compost toilet is available on site.

About

The Zoönomic Institute tends to the roots of the Zoöp movement. It supports organisations in becoming Zoöps, providing tools, methods, guidance, and training as they work toward becoming regenerative organisations. The Institute facilitates the sharing of knowledge both among Zoöps and between Zoöps and the wider world, focusing on ecological regeneration and the development of a regenerative economy. It develops and disseminates methods, tools, and training covering all aspects of operating as a Zoöp. Organisations are certified as Zoöps by the Zoönomic Institute once they have installed a Speaker for the Living and committed to the Zoönomic Annual Cycle.

Klaas Kuitenbrouwer is the director of the Zoönomic Institute and a senior researcher in regenerative practices at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, where he initiated the development of Zoöp. He studied history but has always worked at the intersections of art, design, technology, and ecology. In his work, he is drawn to the friction between different kinds of knowledge practices. Where do technological, artistic, legal, organisational, scientific, and more-than-human knowledges complement each other, and where do they interfere? In recent years, he has researched and curated programs including: Garden of Machines, Gardening Mars, Bot Club, the Neuhaus Temporary Academy for more-than-human knowledge, which culminated in the initiation of the Zoöp project—Have We Met? Humans & Non-Humans on Common Ground, REBOOT, and more.

J D Swann is an ornithological investigator often working with communities in Bexley and Greenwich, London. J D organised walks and events with Estuary Festival, Stephen Turner’s Exbury Egg, Bow Arts, Three Rivers, InspiralLondon, Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park and RSPB Rainham, Essex, with Kinetika. He has live-streamed with InspiralSE2 (Calum F Kerr & Miyuki Kasahara) in various locations in South-East London and the Isle of Portland, Dorset.

Friends of Tump 39 is a team of local volunteers who act on behalf of the communities that use and care for Tump 39. They are the natural starting point for cultural work where people and places meet and work closely with the Three Rivers team to develop a site-sensitive creative programme that recognises both human and more-than-human ‘beings’ in the co-creation process.

Three Rivers is a site-sensitive community arts programme, rooted in a practice of creative care for people and places in Bexley, which supports diverse communities in engaging with arts and culture by experiencing their surroundings in new creative ways. We are funded by Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme, which focuses on parts of the country where involvement in culture is significantly below the national average. Bexley is one of those places, and Three Rivers is the result. Three Rivers is hosted by Peabody Trust, with support from the London Borough of Bexley, National Trust, Thames 21 and Re-Instate.

Photos: Ed Webb-Ingall ‘Dolphin Close’, 2024. Film stills. Courtesy and ©️ the artist.