Falmouth online Fine Art community partner with Void Art Centre to explore sustainable ways of working
23 October 2024
Josie Cockram, Fine Art MA (Online) Course Lead, reflects on a special three-day trip in partnership with Void Art Centre, an acclaimed contemporary art organisation in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
In 2024, the curatorial team at Void Art Centre introduced a living practice of social permaculture, based on models of coexistence, co-creation and a sustainable use of local resources.
Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against, nature, in tune with the seasons, place and community. On our Derry Residential in September – our first in-person event to take place off-campus – students learned first-hand how this approach works in conversation with other organisations across the city.
The Void team organised a visit to Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, an award-winning and innovative charity committed to the growth of the Irish language, arts and culture. We also went to the Tower Museum, where we learned about the Thornhill Bead, the earliest known artwork made in Derry, and the grove of oak trees, or Doire, from which the city takes its name.
This first day was a great introduction to Void’s locale. But the programme of activities was also a model for artists to apply: a way in which to arrive in a new place with curiosity, to listen and understand the many relationships – historical and contemporary – that underpin a community and will inform all artistic work made in that context.
"Our cultural richness has always largely been open source. Culture is perhaps one of the largest common pool resources still available to us today" - Pascal Gielen (2024)
On the second day, we learned about ‘commoning’, the central theme of the residential’s programme. The Void team convened a reading group, and students reflected on how these ideas have meaning for them, and how they could inform new strategies within art practice.
We also prepared a potluck lunch together, with a contribution from everyone, and collectively made a sculptural installation in Void’s front window, generated through a ‘seed-making’ workshop with AHRC IAA Practice-Based Researcher in Residence Pamela Whitaker.
On the third and final day, we made a visual glossary of the residential in a drawing workshop and took a bus trip to Fort Dunree to attend a live performance by artist Arijit Bhattacharyya, hosted by Artlink at Fort Dunree.
"It was so valuable to meet in person and develop our artistic relationships" - student participant
We were delighted to work in partnership for our annual residential this year because the commitment that Void is making to sustainable, ethical and collaborative ways of working is in tune with our values and students’ ambitions.
Our collaboration additionally invited student participation online when, in advance of our trip, we organised a special live online seminar with Void’s Director Viviana Checchia. We’re now extending the conversation and learning initiated in Derry by bringing ideas back to our virtual learning space: students have been inspired to come up with new ways of working to support each other's research interests and share skills and knowledge of their place in the world.
"It's planted seeds of nourishment, of collaborative learning, being invested - Void is a nerve centre" - student participant
Cecelia Graham, Void Art Centre’s Head of Civic Engagement, told us: "It was brilliant to spend time with the students and team from Fine Art MA (Online), introducing them to our wider context and some of the people that make up Derry City.
"We really value the days we spent together, learning collectively and sharing different perspectives on what 'commoning' might mean. This was a nourishing testing ground for Void to think about how we might work with those in academia, from students to researchers, and enabled us to share ideas and working processes linked to the organisation's social permaculture approach.
"We're excited to follow the group on their future journeys, and will continue to learn from their contributions and observations made during the residential".
The Fine Art MA (Online) Derry Residential was curated by Void Art Centre in partnership with Falmouth University.
Void Art Centre’s overarching mission is to become an active civic contributor by creating meaningful connections between art and society. The organisation supports the development of cultural work by national and international art practitioners, acting with a collaborative spirit by creating innovative and lasting partnerships. Their public programme is supported by Arts Council Northern Ireland, Foundation Foundation and the Henry Moore Foundation. Read more here.
MA Fine Art (Online) is a Falmouth School of Art programme that launched in 2021. The course supports the development of innovative and sustainable contemporary art practice in the UK and internationally. Together we find new ways of working whilst thinking critically about the relationship between the local and the global. Read more about our course community here.
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