Organised by Tate Liverpool and the Paul Mellon Centre, join workshops, talks, tours, artist-led walks and a forum to discuss contested spaces and individual and collective action.
Day 1: Friday 8 July
09.00-18.30, Tate Liverpool
A symposium convened by Sria Chatterjee (Head of Research and Learning, Paul Mellon Centre), Darren Pih (Curator, Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Liverpool) and Emilia Will (Project Editor, Tate Liverpool)
Imagined as an extension of Radical Landscapes, Day 1 of the symposium provides a space to dig deeper into the histories and futures of the rural. The exhibition opens up the countryside as a space where questions around trespass, borders, access, edgelands, botany, artistic experimentation and struggles around civic freedoms coagulate. Following a private view of the exhibition, the symposium will bring together scholars, artists and botanical practitioners to think together about contested spaces and collective action through talks, discussions and live performances.
Day 2: Saturday 9 July
11.00-14.00, Birkenhead Park, Liverpool
Join us for a communal picnic and walking tour of Birkenhead Park, which was one of the first publicly funded parks in the world. Led by historian Dr Ruth Colton, it celebrates the radical nature of public parks as shared social spaces, whose creation was part of a national campaign to access natural, green space in urban settings. The tour explores how the landscaping and architecture of Birkenhead Park relates to empire and colonialism, and how its intended uses have been subverted by the public throughout its history to the present day.
11.00-12.00, introductory talk; bring your own picnic brunch
12.00-14.00, guided tour led by Ruth Colton
Meet at the Grand Entrance, at the corner of Park Road North and Park Road East.
Speakers and performers include:
- Darren Pih, Curator, Exhibitions and Displays, Tate Liverpool
- Frederika Tevebring, King's College London
- Sria Chatterjee, Head of Research and Learning, Paul Mellon Centre
- Jill Casid, Professor of Visual Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Claire Ratinon, Food Grower and Writer
- Emilia Will, Project Editor, Tate Liverpool
- Bones Tan Jones, Artist
- Sarah James, Senior Curator, Exhibitions, Tate Liverpool
- Delaine Le Bas, Artist
- Davinia-Ann Robinson, Artist
- Dr. Ruth Colton, Historian
This event is supported by the Paul Mellon Centre.