MARCH 2018

 

BedPop Science Lab – Back to the Future
Saturday 10th March 2018, 10am – 5pm, The Higgins, Bedford

Help artist Jo Atherton explore The Museum of the Future – a collection of discarded plastic objects found on beaches centuries from now. Jo invites BedPop visitors to become archaeologists and travel with her from the future back to 2018. Help her understand what plastic was used for and explain why these artefacts were thrown away, discovering how we can live more sustainably to protect Planet Earth.

APRIL 2018

Pop Up Museum of the Future at University College London
26th April 2018, North Cloisters, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT

The Museum of the Future will encourage visitors to consider how our contemporary culture will be represented generations from now, through the predominantly plastic everyday objects we are leaving behind. Much like the stone tools, pottery and metals that archaeologists use to define human cultures, a layer of plastic will sadly, one day represent our own throwaway society. Almost every aspect of our daily lives is represented in the collection trays, demonstrating the extent to which plastic is the lowest common denominator in every home.

A Plastic Voyage: film screening followed by Q&A panel discussion
Thursday 26th April 2018, 6-8pm, The Cruciform Building, University College London

A screening of the Sky Ocean Rescue documentary, A Plastic Voyage followed by a Q&A panel discussion between eXXpedition Round Britain crew members, a PhD scientist researching plastic pollution and an artist (me) working with marine debris. The panel will discuss raising awareness of the damage being caused to the world’s oceans by plastics and chemicals.

MAY 2018

The Harbour Gallery, Jersey, The Channel Islands
7th – 13th May, 2018

I am excited to announce that I have been invited by The Harbour Gallery, St Aubin on the island of Jersey to deliver a series of flotsam weaving workshops from 7th to 13th May 2018. This will be my first visit to The Channel Islands and I am especially interested to learn more about the materials washing ashore here, a unique gathering place for flotsam arriving on the Gulf Stream. It will be great fun to meet the islanders and work with a new cohort of flotsam weavers! Details of the courses to be shared here as they become available.

Ocean Matters: Public Engagement Event and Exhibition
Bath Spa University, Bath College of Arts & Design & Bristol Aquarium
26th – 27th May 2018

‘Ocean Matters’ will bring together emerging research in the arts and sciences to illuminate the hazards, visible and invisible, local and global, of plastic debris. This weekend long event will raise public awareness of the hazards of marine plastics to human and non-human life through a series of interactive stalls, film screenings, free poetry readings and lectures at Bristol Aquarium. The event and accompanying exhibition will draw together a range of artists, activists and academics who are currently examining questions of invisibility and interconnection in relation to water, plastics and local environments. Details to be shared here once finalised.

JUNE 2018

World Oceans Day at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Friday Saturday 9th June, 2018

This year, I am delighted to be spending World Oceans Day at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. Details of activities to follow but in the meantime, do visit their website to plan your visit to the perfect venue to celebrate World Oceans Day!

AUGUST 2018

Weaving Flotsam Fish at the Cutty Sark, Greenwich, London
4th – 5th August 2018

I am excited to have been invited back to the Cutty Sark in London to run another weaving workshop directly beneath the hull of this iconic ship. Flotsam Fish workshops will take place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th August 2018 and will be free with entry to the Museum. We’ll be weaving a shoal of fish using ghost nets, marine plastics and other weird and wonderful finds from the UK coastline. More details to be shared here as they become available.

PetroCultures 2018
29th August – 1st September 2018

PetroCultures is an academic conference taking place at the University of Glasgow this year. It is a research group whose aim is to support, produce, and distribute research related to the social, cultural and political implications of oil and energy use on individuals, communities, and societies around the world. Details to be shared once arrangements are confirmed.