6 October 2023
Workshop (4-5.30pm) and performance (6-7pm), Grand Union, Birmingham,
Seda Ergul, Niya B, Sophie Seita
Niya B, Umbilical: a desire to connect to the source
As a society, we are committed to community gathering. Here we list and document some past and upcoming events and collaborations.
If you’d like to propose a collaboration with us (online, in person, anywhere in the world), we’d love to hear from you.
hildegardsgardeningcompanions [at] gmail [dot] com
A workshop around queer listening and writing led by Seda Ergul and Sophie Seita, and a performance by Niya B.
Workshop: Listening to the environment, from a queer perspective. Led by Seda Ergul and Sophie Seita
This sound walk creates an immersive experience by taking participants on a very short walk along the canal outside Grand Union Gallery, with various stops at its gardening sites along the way. At these stops, we will guide you through simple listening prompts, inspired by Pauline Oliveros and Fluxus, offer a short writing exercise, and introduce conversations around topics such as queer ecology, queer community, biodiversity, perception and sensorial discovery, sites of memory; regional/local history, human and non-human co-habitation, and related topics. We will draw on critical walking methodologies (asking who gets to walk where and how, what kind of publics are produced against the backdrop of well-being and health, but also legacies of colonial and environmental harm), in turn informed by queer and feminist theory, decolonial approaches, disability studies, performance studies, and environmental activism. The workshop foregrounds a spirit of playfulness and exploration. No background knowledge or previous experience is necessary and all are welcome.
Umbilical stories, navel sensualities and reproductive desires, by Niya B
On the 6th of October, Niya will emplace herself in the Garden Shed at Grand Union for an intimate engagement with her post reproductive body and a deep sense of longing to nurture life
Revitalising her umbilical cord, she is looking to reconnect with the m-Other in a trans interspecies temporality of care.
Please note that the gallery does not have step-free access and is not wheelchair accessible. Please don’t hesitate to contact us about any access requirements and we will be sure to accommodate you.
This event is a part of the public programme of the exhibition bingenTV at Mimosa House, taking place between October 26 and December 8, 2023. bingenTV is conceived by artists Naomi Woo and Sophie Seita, in conversation with The Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, produced by Queer Art Projects and funded by Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Council England.