Launching the GROUNDWORK Podcast series
At The Work Room we know that over the past ten years, a groundswell of artists within our membership have been dedicating their attention and practice to environmental and ecological concerns; climate emergency and activism. Not just in concept or content, but by explicitly interrogating, and altering, ‘the how, the way, the why’ of dancing and making work.
The Groundwork working group brought together a working group of six artist members who have been exploring such ecological practice within their artistic work. The selected artists responded to an open call to join the working group in December 2023 and came together at several points throughout early 2024, with Luke Pell, for a series of group meetings and practical research trips to explore the following questions from the perspective of independent dance artists, their practice and as members of The Work Room:
- What does ‘an environmental policy’ mean for independent dance artists in Scotland today and tomorrow?
- What does careful resource management look like for us?
- What’s unique and/or particular to our needs? How can we make change through acts of reciprocity?
- What and how can this be shared across our membership; Glasgow, Scotland and beyond?
- What can we do, together, that is tangible, timebound and relevant?
This podcast series traces some of that time and shares their findings in a new format for The Work Room. Drafted following a series of conversations and research activities undertaken by the Groundwork working group, they are intended as offers for The Work Room artist-members and the organisation to consider as part of approaches to greener working practices, environmental ethos/policies and sustainability in light of the climate emergency.
At the heart of every conversation the group has had an intention to work towards more embodied approaches to responding to climate and biodiversity injustice in our work and our daily lives. As part of this, the participating artists –Amy Dakin Harris, Emily Nicholl, Hamshya Rajkumar, Hannah Draper, Melissa Heywood and Penny Chivas –have all shared insights into their differing practices and perspectives, in conversation with Luke Pell, as part of a pilot series of podcasts from The Work Room.
Each episode offers a series of approachable, impassioned reflections and recommendations for dancing peers in Scotland-and beyond-whether they are already involved in these kinds of conversation, are just joining or are keen to learn more.
Read the GROUNDWORK MANIFESTO
Read more about the GROUNDWORK Artists
Listen to the PodCast series - also available where you may normally listen to your podcasts
Episode 1: Introduction
This new pilot series of podcasts from The Work Room. Luke Pell introduces Groundwork working group where they met to consider approaches to greener working practices, environmental ethos, policies, and sustainability. At the heart of every conversation the group has had was an intention to work towards more embodied approaches to responding to climate and biodiversity injustice, in our work and our daily lives.
Download transcript of Episode 1
Espisode 2: Amy Dakin Harris
Amy centres her research ideas and practices around mutual aid, rest, interception, and conversation with land. Amy discusses her intension to share tools for situating our collective experience of ecological destruction in our growth oriented society and hopes to propose rituals for moving through difficult emotions arise from this together.
Download transcript of Episode 2
Episode 3: Melissa Heywood
Melissa shares her thoughts on what it is to be a beginner when it comes to climate justice, about getting outdoors, getting connected, and the knowledge amongst us to make work in sustainable ways-how we don't need to be the first or duplicate what others are doing, but can provide one another with the support, hope, and awe we urgently need.
Downlaod transcript of Episode 3
Episode 4: Hamshya Rajkumar
Hamshya talks with Luke about finding a better balance, about other ways of perceiving, perception and the presence of all life. Hamshya brought to the group a rich knowledge and keen interest to continue to learn about how we can consciously participate in the movement ecology of Glasgow.
Download transcript of Episode 4
Episode 5: Penny Chivas
Penny talks about wild swimming, our connection to water, resources and responsibilities, recognising resilience, shaping things together, sustainability planners, and how we might better engage with eco-anxiety and distress by leaning into embodiment, imagination and opening up to what's needed.
Download transcript of Episode 5
Episode 6: Hannah Deus Draper
Hannah discusses what resources you; what keeps you grounded; bodies, land and being alive in aliveness. Hannah introduces us to the Greendykes Bings, to dealing with scars on the land, asking questions about slower processes in an accelerated world, and how we might find hope in unlikely places.
Download transcript of Epsiode 6
Episode 7: Emily Nicholl
Emily talks about circus solidarity, paying attention and, leaning into one another and the reality that could be. Emily shares approaches to nurturing our embodied relationships with our natural surroundings, and centering ecological justice into the how of the practicalities of producing, touring and sharing practice and performance.
Download transcript of Episode 7
Episode 8: Closing words
Following six months of conversation as the Groundwork working group, Amy, Melissa, Hamshya, Penny, Hannah, Emily and Luke sit down together to review actions and offers to share with the membership and an intention setting - as a sort of space for dreaming in or drafting of a manifesto, towards a more embodied approach to climate justice and sustainable working for our members and The Work Room - it's arranged by Sonia Killman, who brilliantly edited this series with us, and designed the beautiful sound that you've heard throughout.
Download transcript of Episode 8
GROUNDWORK is supported by the Glasgow Life Arts Development Fund
