In 2024, artist duo Kneed explored how the spaces we occupy are part of living and ever-changing ecologies.
For the first time, the artist for the 2024 Open Plan commission was selected following an open call. Artists and creatives based in Southwark, Lewisham or Lambeth were invited to lead a series of workshops over 12 weeks with the children and young people who attend SLG’s Art Block.
Following the shortlisting of applicants, the children and young people voted on who they would most like to work with. The vote was close, but everyone was pleased with the outcome and artist duo Kneed: Ishwari Bhalerao and Leonie Rousham were selected to deliver their project, Art Block Ecologies.
From April-July 2024, Kneed invited the children and young people to imagine and share stories while exploring the relationships between the past, present and future ecologies of Sceaux Gardens. They explored these themes in many creative workshops; using mask, map and instrument making, printing, audio storytelling, character design, illustration, cooking with locally foraged ingredients, filming, collaging, prop and costume making, experiments with green screen, photograms with DIY developers, and organic clay sculpting with Maymana Arefin.
Through group walks in the local area, the young people of Art Block were encouraged to use all their senses to embrace and question the natural and built environments around us.
The final outcomes included soft furnishing for permanent use at Art Block designed using work that was produced throughout the project; a short film written and directed by the young people exploring the lives and friendships of animals on the Sceaux Gardens Estate and a series of audio pieces capturing the young people’s musings on their local area and community.
ABOUT KNEED
Kneed is a collaborative practice formed by Ishwari Bhalerao (b. Nagpur) and Leonie Rousham (b. London). We are interested in building systems of care, support and resistance where external pressures are causing these to be exhausted or lacking. In a time when the government is treating the old, sick, disabled, and working-class people as disposable, it is more important than ever to collaborate, listen, learn and remember, from conversation and friendship. Thus, our workshops and studio practice focus on collectivising experiences, memories and stories around our ecologies, labour, time and care, mobilised as tools to resist systems of oppression, exhaustion and isolation. Our approach to making work is centred around process, conversation and imagination.
In 2022, Kneed also worked with our Education team on a resource for schools. In this video they talk more about their practice, share activity prompts and ideas for discussion.
ABOUT MAYMANA AREFIN
Maymana Arefin Is a multidisciplinary British-Bengali artist, writer and facilitator based in London. Her practice spans mediums such as poetry, clay work, collage and painting in response to themes of ecology, grief, embodiment and the power of collective imagining.
ABOUT ART BLOCK
Art Block is the South London Gallery’s free space on Sceaux Gardens Estate for local young people and families to make things, be creative, and play.
Open Plan is supported by Freelands Foundation, with additional funds from Southwark Council’s Youth and Play Grant Programme and other donors.
