Consequences (2020)
By
Kate Genever & Metal
A triptych of photographs of drawing workshops held as part of the Consequences project.
A celebration of women, drawing, talking and connection for residents of Peterborough and beyond during 2020.
Consequences was developed by artist Kate Genever and Metal and funded through the Integrated Communities Fund managed by Peterborough City Council and Youth Inspired with the support of Arts Council England. It brought women together across a range of ages, religions, backgrounds and cultures to connect, learn and see more of each other. Over five months in 2020—including lockdown—hundreds of women met up to get to know each other whilst drawing.
The project began with residents in Peterborough, extending during lockdown to include women from across the country. Consequences saw women explore personal, political & universal issues face-to-face, both on- and offline (including Zoom) and via post. The project resulted in a bespoke website, free activity packs, walks, poster artworks, ongoing weekly zoom gatherings and a participatory Zoom event with five invited artists who shared their Covid-19-affected practices and remote working strategies
A range of Consequences activity packs were produced enabling individuals to express feelings about different topics, either alone or with another person, accompanied by doodling. The aim was to help people think and talk while drawing. Consequences utilised drawing and doodling to help free the mind.
The work took place in community settings pre lockdown, converting to Zoom and postal packs to enable safe connection. All activities and resources were free and could be used alone, with friends and family and with groups. Between 15th August to 15th September 2020 we held a live online exhibition that showcased all of the drawings, words and conversations in one place and invited people to get involved. The website continues to be online where resources can be downloaded.
Consequences reinforced that drawing whilst talking allowed people to explore new perspectives, humorous and difficult subjects. We felt that providing a space for women to meet, connect and chat was more important than ever during the lockdown period. We were in the lucky position of being able to continue when many were furloughed but we had to adapt at pace and in an ever-changing environment. We were challenged with trying to create a safe and nurturing space when all around us life was challenging. We trialled lots of digital and analogue approaches in an attempt to engage different communities, exploring, discussing and evaluating these approaches with the communities we were working with. Some worked better than others. Covid meant we gained participants and also lost new connections we had made pre-lockdown.
As well as physical and online workshops, we also hosted a series of events, including a walking tours of a Consequences poster campaign, featured in The Notice Board Exhibition, and a seminar, ‘What are the consequences of not adapting?’ which explored the need to adapt during Covid-19 and how this might impact on artists’ processes in the future. You can listen to the discussion at: https://soundcloud.com/user-766789208/what-are-the-consequences-of-not-adapting-seminar.
“I was so glad to take part in the Consequences workshop. It was interesting to hear different women’s experiences and their different viewpoints on things been discussed. It’s great when women can share life discoveries and reflections based on their own life experiences. How powerful women are with their wisdom!”
More information: http://www.whataretheconsequences.com
