What Can a Garden Be? (2020-21) was public lecture and doctoral research methods workshop series organised by Dr Ros Gray and supported by the CHASE consortium to develop ideas and critical thinking about setting up a garden within Goldsmiths to support ecological artistic research, knowledge exchange and public engagement.
Taking place primarily online during the pandemic, the What Can a Garden Be? series included presentations and workshops by international speakers including Nida Sinnokrot, Yasmine Ostendorf, Fiona MacDonald (Feral Practice), Mojisola Adebayo and Nicole Wolf, Harun Morrison, Daniella Valz Gen and a final in-situ research methods workshop in the Art Research Garden by Rehana Zaman and Priya Jay on themes including mycelium as methodology, feral practices, permaculture and theatre of the oppressed methodologies for climate justice work, queer migrant methods for embodying liminality, and somatic and mystic botanical knowledges.
The series included the following talks and workshops:
Nida Sinnokrot'Palestine Is Not A Garden', 17 November 202 Public lecture
‘Ephemeral Infrastructures’, 3 December 2020 Research methods workshop
Yasmin Ostendorf'Mycellium As Methodology' 1 December 2020 Public lecture
'Collaborative Survival' 10 December 2020 Research Methods Workshop
Harun Morrison, ‘Beacon Garden, Dagenham’19 January 2021 Public lecture
Ros Gray
‘Plots and Plans and Pots and Pans: Towards an Art Research Garden’, February 2021 Research methods workshop
Fiona McDonald
'Feral Practice' 9 March 2021 Public lecture
'Feral Practice' 11 March 2021 Research methods workshop
Daniella Valz Gen
‘On (be)longing as Oracular Practice’ 25 May 2021 Public lecture
'Sensing the Elements: Fire' 6 June 2021 Research methods workshop
Mojisola Adebayo and Nicole Wolf
‘Compos(t)ing body and soil methods for anti-colonial gardens. A critical exploration of Theatre of the Oppressed and Permaculture for practice-research’
15 June 2021 Public lecture
Priya Jay and Rehana Zaman
‘Research as Ceremony’ 19 November 2021 Research methods workshop
Image courtesy of Trasi Henen, 2021