Hello dear reader. The following reflection is written by me, Craig Duncan. In case you missed my introduction – I am the Creative Spaces Associate newly embedded in the What We Do Now Network. As part of my tenure I will be exploring what it means to be a young artist within a Creative Placemaking network, and how my practice as a games designer might benefit the community.
I was fortunate enough to attend the latest WWDN Members’ Gathering that took place in early June. Facilitated by WWDN members Jo Hodges and Robbie Coleman, the session touched on several themes close to my heart – the climate crisis and the use of ‘play’ to encourage engagement.
Jo and Robbie’s newest installation piece, Six Bowls: Ecologies of Resistance, served as the focal point for this gathering. Originally created for their Turning The Tide residency in Evia, their initial iteration of the work served as an exploration of the community’s relationship with the ongoing challenges associated with the climate crisis; including wild fires, flooding, and the growing sense of distrust towards local government.
Each wooden bowl holds an important element from the local environment; giving participants the opportunity to choose how they might interact with the piece. I found this participant-led approach particularly inspiring; especially the adaptability it offers the installation. One day it may be an introspective tool for discussing the trauma surrounding natural disasters on Evia, or provide a setting for a commons assembly on the climate crisis – just as it was for us during the gathering.
The assembly had an interesting twist. We would each choose one of the six elements found in the bowls to represent – I personally chose dependable stone. Alongside my fellow stone representatives, we discussed the important issues facing the geology of the local region, such as erosion, mineral extraction; jokingly debating how stone itself might feel about this all. To my absolute delight, as we began the discussion and introduced ourselves, we each did so in character – peat bubbled up from the ground, air triggered a group wave that even stubborn stone took part in.
Over the next hour we playfully planned, debated, and shared our concerns over the climate crisis. As someone whose practice is rooted in the intersection of play and storytelling, this approach truly spoke to me. The strength of this style of participatory interaction is what encourages communities to shift perspectives. By examining the questions of resource extraction and pollution, not from our typical perspective but from the lens of the resources, we can cut through some of the polarisation that often surrounds these issues. In turn, this allows us to approach difficult discussions with genuine honesty and good humour.
We ended our gathering with a shared meal, provided by our very own Stove Cafe. Inspired by the day, we discussed our own environmental projects and how we might implement a similar approach within our own work.
A huge thank you to Langholm’s Xcel Youth Centre for hosting the event.
