The Constellations ° Cohort is a group of ten early to mid-career practitioners from across the UK. The cohort took part in Constellations, a free, eight month learning and development programme to develop their practice, collaborate with others, access new networks, and contribute to critical debate surrounding the future of public practice.
The programme explored urgent lines of enquiry and best practice in relation to this field, including questions around the potential of art to help communities reimagine new futures, principles underpinning alternative economies, and notions of care.
The Constellations ° Cohort 2023, selected from across the UK were Seyi Adelekun, Ian Giles, Holly Graham, Faye Hamblett-Jones, Benjamin Malcolmson, James McColl, Laura Onions, Cherelle Sappleton, Giulia Shah and Becky Warnock. You can read more about their individual practice here:
The cohort took part in three strands of activity, taking place between July 2023 and February 2024:
- Constellations ° Cohort sessions – Fifteen in-depth seminars, workshops and mentoring sessions attended by the cohort, including three in-person gatherings that took place in Liverpool, Southampton and London.
- Constellations ° Assemblies - Three free online events open to all artists, curators and practitioners, involving a range of UK and international speakers.
- Constellations ° Conference - A series of panel discussions and workshops in Southampton and open to all artists, curators and practitioners. The conference was curated by UP Projects and presented in partnership with John Hansard Gallery. It was part of Co-Creating Public Space, led by John Hansard Gallery and supported by Arts Council England.
Constellations 2023 is curated by UP Projects in partnership with Flat Time House and in association with Liverpool Biennial. Constellations 2023 includes the Co-Creating Public Space: How can we thrive? conference realised in partnership with John Hansard Gallery. Constellations 2023 is generously supported by Arts Council England, the Barrington Hibbert Associates Access Fund, and the Constellations Patrons.
Constellations Partners
Flat Time House
Flat Time House (FTHo) was the studio home of John Latham (1921-2006), recognised as one of the most significant and influential British post-war artists. In 2003, Latham declared the house a living sculpture, naming it FTHo after his theory of time, ‘Flat Time’. Until his death, Latham opened his door to anyone interested in thinking about art. It is in this spirit that Flat Time House opened in 2008 as a gallery with a programme of exhibitions and events exploring the artist's practice, his theoretical ideas and their continued relevance. It also provides a centre for alternative learning, which includes the John Latham archive, and an artist's residency space.
Liverpool Biennial
Liverpool Biennial, established in 1998, is the UK’s largest free contemporary visual arts festival and the country’s first Biennial. Every two years the festival brings together international artists, arts professionals, communities and audiences to experience exhibitions across the city, alongside a hybrid programme of talks, performances and events, providing an opportunity for Liverpool and the UK to connect with the world, reflecting new ways of thinking. Liverpool Biennial aims to create long-lasting impact through the economic investment it brings to the city, through support for artistic, peer and young people’s professional development, through community and school programmes and through its contribution to placemaking in the city and wider region. Permanent public artworks commissioned by Liverpool Biennial include ‘Liverpool Mountain’ by Ugo Rondinone (2018), ‘Evertro’ by Koo Jeong A x Wheelscape (2015) and ‘Everybody Razzle Dazzle’ by Sir Peter Blake (2015).
John Hansard Gallery
John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, is one of the UK’s leading contemporary art galleries. We support, develop and present great art by outstanding artists from across the world and are proud to play a dynamic role in the cultural life of Southampton and the region.
We would like to thank the members of the former Public Art Network (Theresa Bergne, Vivien Lovell, Vivienne Reiss, Louise Trodden, Jeni Walwin, and Sam Wilkinson), Kelly Large, Amanda King, and Jes Fernie for their support developing the programme.
Deveron Projects
Deveron Projects is a socially-engaged arts organisation, based in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, since 1995. We connect artists, communities and places through the process of making art. Our projects create relationships between people and across differences, connect Huntly with the wider world, including global justice movements, and contribute to alternative, sustainable and inclusive futures for our town.
Constellations x Deveron Projects Residency
23 – 29 September 2024
Working in partnership with Deveron Projects and Flat Time House, the Constellations ° Cohort 2023 will be taking part in a paid week-long group residency in Huntly, Aberdeenshire. The residency will be an opportunity for the cohort to extend the collaborative work and peer to peer learning undertaken during the Constellations programme.
The residency will delve further into the questions, challenges and learnings that have been uncovered over the past months and connect with this through the unique context and organisational practice at Deveron Projects. Through a programme of walks, workshops, meetings and events, the cohort will explore the conditions that both impact the work we do as creative practitioners, and the conditions that we can create, through the process of making artworks collaboratively with communities. From self-actualising communities to thinking like forests, disrupting systems of exchange to care and maintenance, each day of the residency will question what is the role of creative practitioners and artworks in creating social justice and how do we do this work well?
Constellations 2023 Schedule
- Introductions facilitated by UP Projects & Flat Time House, 10 July 2023, held online
- Workshop led by Ahmet Öğüt, 13 July 2023, held online
- Cohort trip to Liverpool Biennial, 4 - 6 August 2023, held in Liverpool
- Cohort trip to Southampton for Co-creating Public Space conference, 26 - 28 October 2023, held at Central Hall and John Hansard Gallery, Southampton
- Workshop led by Cíaran Malik, 16 November 2023, held online
- Workshop led by Jack Ky Tan, 26 January 2024, held online
- Cohort trip to London, 27 - 29 February 2024, held at Flat Time House, London
The Barrington Hibbert Associates Access Fund
At UP Projects we endeavour to make our programme as accessible as possible to ensure that people from the broadest range of backgrounds are supported and encouraged to take part in our learning programmes. We recognise that access to development and career progression opportunities in the arts and culture sector can be challenging, particularly for those from low socio-economic backgrounds or with protected characteristics that are underrepresented in the cultural workforce.
The Barrington Hibbert Associates Access Fund covers return travel and accommodation costs to the in-person sessions in Liverpool and Southampton. The fund also contributes towards specific individual access needs on a case-by-case basis, including but not limited to, British Sign Language (BSL) and live caption interpretation, providing assistive technology and digital equipment, additional travel support and/or accessible travel, and supporting those with care responsibilities.
