Creatures of change
A series of citywide events working with local communities to explore our relationship to Plymouth’s changing landscape, our future visions, and our thoughts on the climate crisis, using creative techniques to invite conversation, play and storytelling.
Click a tile below to learn more about each individual event.
Wider context
Framing the project was the removal of public access to Dartmoor and a resulting ‘right to roam’ campaign (2023), the Community Climate Centre being removed from the city centre (Made in Plymouth, 2022), alongside the primary source of nature within the city centre – the trees of Armada Way – being cut down. This was amongst public anger and an ensuring legal battle against the city council reaching national news outlets (The Guardian, 2023). Within this context there was much heated debate across communities about the future of Plymouth, access to nature and the effects of the climate crisis. Alongside and in response to these events these workshops invited the people of Plymouth to come together and reflect on their experiences with the landscape by creating a ‘creature for change’. This used illustration as a transformative tool to help people take their feelings of despair, anger or sadness and transform it into positive action by looking ahead with hope at Plymouth’s possible future.
Workshop 1: collage
Workshop 4: Urban sketching
Workshop 2: lino-printing
Workshop 3: ceramics
“What I most took away from the event is a greater understanding of the printmaking process and an understanding of how art can influence and engage communities in change”
With special thanks to the those who participated, whose thoughts, ideas and time made the workshops such a lovely joyful and creative environment. Thank you also to the organisations who made this project possible, including Plymouth Octopus, The Printery, The Ground Coffee House, Nudge Community Builders, University of Plymouth and Santander Scholarships.
