Imagery of the Arctic and South Pole have dominated climate narratives for so long, when for many people, these images do not connect to their daily lives. How do the visual narratives of climate changes impact how we relate to our changing environment? Join multi-disciplinary artist Mo Langmuir in a reflective session diving into this question and its implications for our practices and the wider arts ecosystem.

Referring to open-source and relational methodologies, often informed by Indigenous and decolonial knowledge systems, Mo’s works observe the interconnected nature of the environment and multiplicity of source, including landscape, folklore, lived experience, sampling, written word, music and sound. Her projects manifest in a way that is led by collaboration, but typically result in drawing, textiles and land art.

This workshop responds to Mo’s East London Art Prize shortlisted work Mapping Interconnectedness (2024), a co-design project with Old Basford School, Nottingham, exploring whether inner-city students should care about the Polar Regions, prompted by their featuring in the Year 5 lesson plan. Mo spent a full term in residence with Year 5 pupils, two days a week, working towards a final piece – a multi-scalar map based on the red, blue, yellow and green parachutes common in schools. The work is part of the Creativity Collaboratives initiative in Nottingham, led by Arts Council England, with partners around the UK.

This is an interactive and collaborative workshop with plenty of time for conversation and discussion, as well as more hands-on mapping and group exercises.

The workshop is open to anyone to attend but will particularly resonate with those who have an existing ecological artistic practice or an interest in exploring ecologies, climate and worldbuilding through their artwork or practice.

In this workshop, you will:

· Learn about Mo Langmuir’s practice in environmental biology and its implications for artists with ecological artistic practices

· Be inspired to use social art to explore being human on a shared planet through case studies and collaboration

· Speculate how artists can build greater solidarity and develop meaningful ecological artist practices through mapping exercises

· Connect with other artists and practitioners with similar areas of interest

More about Mo Langmuir

Mo Langmuir is a multi-disciplinary practitioner using social art to explore being human on a shared planet. Informed by a background in environmental biology, her practice responds to the so-called Enlightenment, a time when Western thinking separated humans from nature, art from science and the body from the mind. Mo often works with the formats and tools that were used to facilitate these ideological separations, such as mapping and museology, towards pluralising and re-enchanting the scientific with the hyperlocal, through critical engagement and exploration.

Mo has won support from Akademie Schloss Solitude, Arts Council England, Climate Art, DEFRA, Makerversity, Near Now, University of Nottingham and The Institute for Art and Innovation. Past collaborations include Chaos Magic, Ignite Futures!, FOSAC [Festival of Science and Curiosity], NGFP [Nottingham Good Food Partnership], Public Lab for Open Technology and Science, Rye’s Own, Sussex Wildlife Trust and The Urban Room. Langmuir was born and is based in London, working internationally on a project basis.

About Bow Skills

Bow Arts seeks to support creative professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2015 Bow Arts launched Bow Skills in response to an artist survey which showed over 90% of practicing artists find it useful to receive further support outside formal education.

Bow Skills is a dynamic and relevant programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which is informed by an artist steering group and open to all creative practitioners across London. The programme of talks, panel discussions, new skills labs and peer crits is open to all, with concession rates available to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists and key workers.

Access information

The Bow Arts Trust offices have step-free access throughout from street level, including to the accessible toilet, and is service animal friendly. This venue does not have a hearing loop system. Accessible parking is not available on-site but blue badge parking can be found 500m away on Fairfield Road.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility at this venue or event, would like to make us aware of any access requirements that you have in advance of visiting, or would like this information in an alternate format including Easy Read, please email nunnery@bowarts.com or call 020 8980 7774 (Ext. 3)

Access requirements could include things like providing equipment, services or support (e.g. information in Easy Read, speech to text software, additional 1:1 support), adjusting workshop timings (e.g. more break times), adjustments to the event space (e.g. making sure you have a seat near the entrance) or anything else you can think of!

Transport Information

Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-5pmAddress: Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ Nearest station(s): Bow Road (District and Hammersmith and City lines) is a 6-minute walk away, and Bow Church (DLR) is a 3-minute walk away. Bus: 205, 25, 425, A8, D8, 108, 276, 488 and 8 all service the surrounding area. Bike: Bicycle parking is located at Bow Church Station. The nearest Santander Cycles docking station is at Bow Church Station.