Nottingham Contemporary, Roots/Routes

A few weeks ago I visited Nottingham Contemporary, where there were exhibits from Allison Katz, Erika Verzutti and Melanie Matranga. I took a few photos and here are some of my favourites:





The sculptures make me want to grab a block of clay and make little models, clawing away at them or adding little arms. The photos above are all very fun and playful. 



When browsing the Contemporary website, I also came across a short documentary series by Patricia Francis called Roots/ Routes, which focused on Black research and thinkers in and around Nottingham. The series is split into five parts, roughly 30 minutes in length altogether. I took some notes whilst watching, and so here's what I thought or what I found interesting: 

In the first episode the guests bought one item that relates to them, which was interesting to see as what they bought were not design or art focused. They all come from different backgrounds and it's a telling of their own individuals stories.

I liked hearing the idea of ecocentrism being described as 'Nature is everything and we are apart of nature as human beings'. 

- "Borders are arbitrarily made. Who you are isn't necessarily who you are." 

- "I feel like through art, people get the opportunity to take a step back and pause and kind of learn about people's experiences. Whether that be about racism, xenophobia, mental health, immigration, history. [...] Audience have been able to engage with their stories and learn from that as well." 

- Social engaged art is less about the making of an object but more about how people work with other people in communities to create something.

- "You get much more out of involving people in the process of decision-making or adapting things, I think people really appreciate that."

- "Everybody's life is different. Everyone's background is different" 

- "Getting people out there and using the realm of the natural world to help people to overcome their mental fatigue and stress and depression" 

- "I'm recovering lost voices. And I'm animating that, I'm bring those voices to life again" 

- "I don't separate the engagement to my creative practice, it is my creative practice.us" 

- "There's actually more that unities us then divides us." 

- "It's the sense of people coming together, engaging with actual historical things, reconciling things to their past but also creating something beautiful." 

The series was very easy to watch and was engaging - it was interesting to hear their thoughts and what they're doing. They all had different occupations, but were engaged with what they do and what they're passionate about. 

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