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A group of East Asian audience members wear face masks and white overalls. A person whispers into the ear of another person who is holding a performance text. Other audience members watch.

With For About 2020

27th May — 17th Jun 2020

A slow virtual conference for a fast moving crisis. This conference was held online at withforabout.com

Event Details
Categories
  • Collectivity,
  • Care

Heart of Glass’ fifth With For About conference responded to the additional challenges that Covid-19 created for many marginalised people and communities. Co-curated by Cecilia Wee and the vacuum cleaner.

We invited attendees to join us for a live episode every Wednesday between 27 May to 17 June 2020 – at 2.30pm GMT+1, or watch back on demand at withforabout.com.

With For About 2020 responded to the additional challenges that Covid-19 created for many marginalised people and communities, asking:

  • What creative solutions have marginalised people developed to survive before Covid-19?
  • What creative ways of being and organising are being made now in response to Covid-19?
  • How do we embed and share these solutions, ways of being and organising now and into the future?

Watch the introduction to the conference below, or visit our YouTube channel to stream every conversation from the conference.

Featuring international artists, activists and academics:

AM Kanngieser (AUS) | Banmanya Brian (Afrorack) (UGA) | Bella with Selina Thompson (GBR) | Cassie Thornton (CAN/USA) | Cathy Cross with Children from Lansbury Bridge and Broad Oak, St Helens (GBR) | Fox Irving (Women’s Working Class) (GBR) | Prof. Rita Giacaman and Dr Weeam Hammoudeh (PSE) with Dr Hanna Kienzler (GBR)| Jesse Presley Jones (IRL) | Johanna Hedva (USA/DEU) | Migrants in Culture (GBR) | Lois Weaver (GBR) | Martin O’Brien (GBR) | Navild Acosta and Fannie Sosa (Black Power Naps) (Nomadic) | Neil Bartlett (GBR) | Kat Salas and Matilda Bickers (STROLL PDX) with Roya Amirsoleymani (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art) (USA) | Touretteshero (GBR) | Cecilia Ashaley and Esenam Drah (GHA) with Dr Ursula Read (GBR) | Youngsook Choi (GBR) and more.

Curated and hosted by artist and mental activist ‘the vacuum cleaner’ and curator and agitator Cecilia Wee.

Themes

Themes were mixed together to allow a truly intersectional understanding of: care work, class, colonialism, disability, ecology, feminism, law, mental health, migration, mutual aid, international organising, LGBTQIA+, racism, social practice and surveillance – all under the framework of Justice and Rights based approaches.

We wilfully ask in facing this crisis, another ten years of austerity, ecological collapse, harsher borders, more racism and deeper ableism within deeply divided societies – how can artists, activists and organisations make vital change within our communities and beyond?

A group of people wearing brightly coloured clothes sit in an informal circle, some are seated on chairs and others on the ground. Some have note pads in their hands and some are writing, some are looking at the speaker, a person with short blonde hair and wearing all black, gesturing with their hands. In the background is a green playing field, a wall and green foliage.
With For About: Art & Democracy, 2019. Image credit: Stephen King.
A group of people wearing brightly coloured clothes sit around a table that has papers, water bottles and coffee cups on it. A person with shoulder length light red hair and wearing a yellow cardigan is speaking and gesticulating. The rest of the people appear to be listening to them intensely.
With For About: Art & Democracy, 2019. Image credit: Stephen King.
A large group of people gather around two long tables in the centre of a large hall. The walls of the hall are white and there are 5 large and ornate windows that reveal a dusky sky.
With For About: Making A Meal of It, 2018. Image credit: Stephen King.

With For About is an annual gathering we’ve been experimenting with since our inception. It's a safe space to discuss and reflect on the fierce and urgent questions facing collaborative and social art today, and more broadly reflect on the role of art and artists in civil society.

With For About 2020 is made with love by Heart of Glass in partnership with Live Art Development Agency (GBR), Create Ireland, Gessnerallee (CHE), Sophiensaele (DEN) New Theatre Institute of Latvia (as part of ACT: Art, Climate, Transition project co-financed by the Creative Europe programme), A Blade of Grass (USA), Stroll PDX with PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art) (USA) and Migrants in Culture.

Special thanks to British Council Indonesia, Gill Lloyd, Carl Davies, Heather Almond, Pam Vision, Stephanie Lu and Madlove Ltd.

Special thanks to

With For About 2020 is made with love by Heart of Glass with the support of:

artscouncil.org.uk
phf.org.uk
gessnerallee.ch
wellcome.ac.uk
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