The Collective will explore ideas around ‘memory’ and draw inspiration from the Horniman’s anthropology collections for the next Studio exhibition which will open in October 2019. The exhibition, bringing together new artwork and collections, will be accompanied by a programme of events and activities also co-produced by the Collective.
The Collective members collaborating on the exhibition are:
- Ahmadzia, a volunteer at Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers (SDCAS) and a kite maker, who came to the UK in 2006 from Kunduz, Afghanistan, and is a refugee
- Carola Cappellari, a photojournalism and documentary photography student who volunteered her skills to produce promotional material for the Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation, a community-led organisation supporting Latin Americans to build secure and integrated lives in the UK
- Francis Stanfield, a multi-tasker when it comes to music who describes himself as ‘the original stuporman’. He is influenced by surrealism, films and art, likes ‘anything out of the weird’ and joined the Collective through his involvement with St. Christopher’s Hospice
- Godfrey Gardin, from Kenya but living in London, who volunteers with SDCAS ‘because it enriches the community where I live’ and who also has an interest in gardening
- Jacqueline Benn, who has a career background in TV programming planning and immersive theatre, and whose interests lie also in the arts, and producing short films. In her spare time she is a keen artist, writer and swimmer alongside her involvement with South East London ME Support Group
- Kate Emblen,an artist working across multiple media and art forms including painting, printing, textile art and millinery, who engages with the local community through craft fairs, art trails and collaborative work, including with Arts Network
- Katie Schwab, thecommissioned artist, chosen by her fellow Collective members
- Norin Khanna, a sighted person since birth who lost sight later in life, and is involved with organisations both as a service-user and contributing back as a volunteer in various ways including being part of the Horniman’s Access Advisory Group and advisory panels for other organisations
- Satch Chauhan, from Three Cs, a ‘very curious’ person with ‘a lot of passion for anything and everything’ who was born in Nairobi, moving to the UK aged one
- Sheila Hepper, a florist who has rediscovered her creative streak through joining St. Christopher’s Hospice Arts team
- another member who does not wish their details to be included here.
Katie Schwab’s practice is based around research into traditional craft practices and includes a range of making processes that shape installations of furniture, textiles, moving image and audio works. She often invites others to collaborate in the conception and production of works, exploring processes of mutual exchange and learning through the durational labour of working with one’s hands.
The Studio is a new arts space created as part of the Horniman’s wider anthropology redisplay project, which also includes the development of the World Gallery which opened in June 2018. The Studio is home to the Horniman’s social arts programme, showcasing a co-produced programme by community and professional artists and experts in different fields of practice, inspired by the Horniman’s collections. It features a programme of exhibitions and events, which open up the Museum’s production and curation processes to involve a network of other partners including artists, scientists, visitors and community partners.
The Studio opened in October 2018 with its inaugural exhibition The Lore of the Land, featuring a multi-sensory work by Serena Korda alongside Horniman objects chosen by the 2018 Collective, all highlighting human relationships with nature.
The Studio is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of its £3.3m funding for the Horniman’s anthropology project, and by Arts Council England, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
The Lore of the Land is open until 2 June 2019 and is free to visit. The exhibition co-produced by the 2019 Collective including Katie Schwab will open in October 2019.
