During our eXXpedition Round Britain journey, we are running outreach events in each port! In London, one of our events in an exciting, family-friendly Flotsam Weaving workshop with artist Jo Atherton.
Join artist Jo Atherton on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September 2017 at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich to create a huge shoal of flotsam fish swimming beneath the hull of the magnificent ship, knowing you are working with materials which would otherwise be ingested by marine life.
Learn to weave with unusual materials such as ghost nets and a variety of plastic objects collected on the UK coastline, whilst learning more about the health of our oceans. Suitable for ages 4 and up, the workshops are free with entry to the Cutty Sark. They will be taking place from 11.30 – 13.30 and 14.00 – 16.00 on both Saturday and Sunday.
Scouring the British coastline for flotsam, Jo Atherton collects fishing line, netting and other orphaned objects to interpret stories of our time. Jo explains, “much like the stone tools, pottery and metals that archaeologists use to define human cultures of the past, a layer of plastic will one day signify our own throwaway society. We leave a trail of plastic in our wake, but what do these discarded fragments say about us?”
Her unique flotsam tapestries have been exhibited around the UK and beyond, at venues including the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, London Luton Airport and the University of Edinburgh’s recent conference, Postcards from the Anthropocene. She frequently speaks about her work and was recently invited to speak at the University of Cambridge as part of their Curious Objects exhibition. Jo is delighted to be part of Being Human this year, a national festival of the humanities also taking place the University of Cambridge this November on the subject of Lost & Found.
