The Whitechapel Gallery’s with Francesca Anfossi 2019
Artist Francesca Anfossi collaborated with The Whitechapel Gallery’s education programme 2019, running a series of workshop connecting RS with Redlands Primary School and Lansbury Lawrence Primary School in London. The project drew inspiration from the exhibition Anna Maria Maiolino: Making Love Revolutionary at Whitechapel Gallery during autumn 2019.
This project invited a group of parents, whose children attend these two schools to consider their own creativity through a series of workshops. The process opened up conversations about the role of creativity and the value of the visual arts in education. Participants engaged in material experimentation using clay and cooking to explore themes of cultural identity, creative expression and community, exploring different types and colours of clay and finding instinctive ways to manipulate the material.
The result of these workshops were a series of tablecloths and a publication made together with the participants using cut-outs and collage.
CLAY RETREAT with Anke Buchmann 2019
Anke Buchmann is a Ceramic Artist based in London and Berlin, with work bridging between performance, embodied experiences and ceramic objects. She is addressing presence, the body and material using clay to create awareness for ourself in the present moment. Her practice is lead by observation, concept and experimentation.
She organised a few retreats in our garden, experimenting with clay, embracing observation & presence, following a mindful process of awareness and creation. During the workshop, participants were encouraged to pay attention on their body sensations using the material to express what came up. They were experimenting through throwing and hand-building while synchronising their breathing with their gestures finding new energy, inspiration and presence.
Super 8 workshops with Ben Slotover
Writer and director Ben Slotover organised different Super 8 workshops at Rochester Square during 2017 and 2018. A group of filmmakers filmed and processed one of the few remaining rolls of Kodachrome 40 sound film and processed a cartridge of Fomapan R100 black and white film. Both were reversal developed and screened later that day.
Footage includes Milan Tarascas' 'Body Sound Clay' event and violin performance by Teddy Trunah.
You can watch the final films here: film one / film two
Re-Creation Day 2017
Rochester Square organised its official public launch with two open days events on 24th and 25th June 2017. We opened the space to the wider community, inviting their involvement in shaping the future of this space, exploring it’s potential through conversations about a central idea: the use of raw material in situ as a tool to respond to the ideas of recreation and play. Approximately 1000 people joined us over the course of the two days and participated to all the activities and ideas produced by 30 artists: super 8 workshop, playing with clay, lantern making, dance, music, film screening, pizza making,etc; it was an opportunity to come together, to share food, time and ideas.
Special thanks to: