So what's the big idea?
Published on June 18, 2024 by Jenny Ayrton
We're excited to have been awarded funding by Plymouth Octopus Project to bring this idea to life.
During Summer/Autumn 2024 Art and Energy, FarFlung CIC and Sewcial Guild will be collaborating to create a performance piece that celebrates the small actions that Plymouth’s individuals and organisations are taking for a brighter, greener future.
You’re all invited to take a celebratory stroll along Art and Energy's Mossy Carpet and watch inspirational performances by Far Flung CIC, with fabulous mossy costumes by the Sewcial Guild. An uplifting, accessible, inclusive, collaborative, community-crafted opportunity to slow down, connect and adopt actions for our future.
This funding will enable us to develop opportunities for everyone to take part : we make more progress when we work together!
During Summer/Autumn 2024 Art and Energy, FarFlung CIC and Sewcial Guild will be collaborating to create a performance piece that celebrates the small actions that Plymouth’s individuals and organisations are taking for a brighter, greener future.
You’re all invited to take a celebratory stroll along Art and Energy's Mossy Carpet and watch inspirational performances by Far Flung CIC, with fabulous mossy costumes by the Sewcial Guild. An uplifting, accessible, inclusive, collaborative, community-crafted opportunity to slow down, connect and adopt actions for our future.
This funding will enable us to develop opportunities for everyone to take part : we make more progress when we work together!
Purpose of Funding
All three of the organisations in this collective believe strongly in the power of collaboration and the sharing of skills in order to achieve social and environmental good. We have witnessed how creativity can empower and inspire, bringing hope and positivity.
Who we are:
Far Flung CIC are a Plymouth-based collective of Disabled and non-disabled artists that include movers, actors, musicians, makers, voice practitioners and performers. Since 2015 they have focused on working collaboratively to create accessible workshops and performances that are inclusive and open to all.
Art and Energy CIC are a collective of artists who specialise in designing participatory arts projects which help people take creative steps towards a brighter, greener future. To date their project, The Mossy Carpet, has helped more than 8,000 participants to slow down, to do something productive as they craft with their hands, giving time and space for the sharing of ideas and skills, of knowledge and experience, valuing and celebrating the steps already being taken, encouraging and supporting the next steps.
The Sewcial Guild brings together costume students from Art University of Plymouth, professionals and the wider Plymouth community. They share their sewing skills and equipment with the community in order to fight fast fashion. They’re creating a community of creatives who inspire each other and hopefully change their clothes buying habits.
The Mossy Carpet artwork
The Mossy Carpet is a massive moss-inspired artwork celebrating the small actions that we are taking for our planet. It started in Plymouth in April 2023, since then thousands have joined in, creating an awesome 50m long artwork (and it continues to grow!). This funding will enable Far Flung CIC and The Sewcial Guild to join in, creating a fabulous, uplifting, accessible, inclusive, collaborative, community-crafted performance by Far Flung CIC, complete with beautiful costumes by Sewcial Guild.
What we bring to the table/hope to learn:
Far Flung hopes that by being part of this collaboration, we can learn new skills and ways of working. Being a Disabled led organisation we will explore Access as part of the events planning stages and event day. Through this we hope that the disabled community feel welcomed and encouraged to take part. We are excited by the already built-in accessibility of the work, and its potential to grow. The quality of the carpet gives a tactile element to the work and by blending, sound, physical performance and the opportunity for the audience to get involved it becomes a multi sensory experience. We are interested in merging these different art forms to create different access points throughout the day.
The inclusive company of dancers will take up space, celebrating disability through their live performances. We will claim and take over the area and be seen by passers by who may not have had the opportunity to experience this kind of work before.
Disabled people are not always included or thought about in environmental conversations or movements, the dialogue and information/language is not always accessible and is sometimes overwhelming. There can be direct clashes with Access and sustainability and we will explore this during the collaboration and in this work.
We are interested in how we promote accessibility for this event in its message and we will explore how we do this through our collaborative learning.
Far Flung has an opportunity to broaden the accessibility of the Mossy Carpet by making something that sticks in people’s minds for a long time, adding colour and a memorable performative experience, that considers access from the start and provides opportunity for disabled people from the start.
Art and Energy’s Mossy Carpet has come about through collaborative work and sharing of knowledge and ideas between artists, scientists, ecologists, bryologists, technologists, educators, farmers and many more! This variety of viewpoint and specialism has led to a rich project with many ways for participants to join in. We can see great potential to use the artwork as a stage for performances; we’re so excited to work with Far Flung and Sewcial Guild to begin to explore this potential, creating a really engaging, accessible, memorable and impactful experience for everyone involved.
Sewcial Guild
As a future Costume production professional, Sewcial Guild’s Diane is developing her costume practice to be inclusive of all body shapes and abilities.
Making connections with experienced inclusive groups like Far Flung and Art and Energy CIC is a logical and obvious path for Diane’s growth. She is planning on continuing the costume collaboration with them for other ongoing accessible projects.
Sustainability is also one of her objectives and we will be making costumes out of recycled materials where possible.
Who we are:
Far Flung CIC are a Plymouth-based collective of Disabled and non-disabled artists that include movers, actors, musicians, makers, voice practitioners and performers. Since 2015 they have focused on working collaboratively to create accessible workshops and performances that are inclusive and open to all.
Art and Energy CIC are a collective of artists who specialise in designing participatory arts projects which help people take creative steps towards a brighter, greener future. To date their project, The Mossy Carpet, has helped more than 8,000 participants to slow down, to do something productive as they craft with their hands, giving time and space for the sharing of ideas and skills, of knowledge and experience, valuing and celebrating the steps already being taken, encouraging and supporting the next steps.
The Sewcial Guild brings together costume students from Art University of Plymouth, professionals and the wider Plymouth community. They share their sewing skills and equipment with the community in order to fight fast fashion. They’re creating a community of creatives who inspire each other and hopefully change their clothes buying habits.
The Mossy Carpet artwork
The Mossy Carpet is a massive moss-inspired artwork celebrating the small actions that we are taking for our planet. It started in Plymouth in April 2023, since then thousands have joined in, creating an awesome 50m long artwork (and it continues to grow!). This funding will enable Far Flung CIC and The Sewcial Guild to join in, creating a fabulous, uplifting, accessible, inclusive, collaborative, community-crafted performance by Far Flung CIC, complete with beautiful costumes by Sewcial Guild.
What we bring to the table/hope to learn:
Far Flung hopes that by being part of this collaboration, we can learn new skills and ways of working. Being a Disabled led organisation we will explore Access as part of the events planning stages and event day. Through this we hope that the disabled community feel welcomed and encouraged to take part. We are excited by the already built-in accessibility of the work, and its potential to grow. The quality of the carpet gives a tactile element to the work and by blending, sound, physical performance and the opportunity for the audience to get involved it becomes a multi sensory experience. We are interested in merging these different art forms to create different access points throughout the day.
The inclusive company of dancers will take up space, celebrating disability through their live performances. We will claim and take over the area and be seen by passers by who may not have had the opportunity to experience this kind of work before.
Disabled people are not always included or thought about in environmental conversations or movements, the dialogue and information/language is not always accessible and is sometimes overwhelming. There can be direct clashes with Access and sustainability and we will explore this during the collaboration and in this work.
We are interested in how we promote accessibility for this event in its message and we will explore how we do this through our collaborative learning.
Far Flung has an opportunity to broaden the accessibility of the Mossy Carpet by making something that sticks in people’s minds for a long time, adding colour and a memorable performative experience, that considers access from the start and provides opportunity for disabled people from the start.
Art and Energy’s Mossy Carpet has come about through collaborative work and sharing of knowledge and ideas between artists, scientists, ecologists, bryologists, technologists, educators, farmers and many more! This variety of viewpoint and specialism has led to a rich project with many ways for participants to join in. We can see great potential to use the artwork as a stage for performances; we’re so excited to work with Far Flung and Sewcial Guild to begin to explore this potential, creating a really engaging, accessible, memorable and impactful experience for everyone involved.
Sewcial Guild
As a future Costume production professional, Sewcial Guild’s Diane is developing her costume practice to be inclusive of all body shapes and abilities.
Making connections with experienced inclusive groups like Far Flung and Art and Energy CIC is a logical and obvious path for Diane’s growth. She is planning on continuing the costume collaboration with them for other ongoing accessible projects.
Sustainability is also one of her objectives and we will be making costumes out of recycled materials where possible.
Describe how your Collective formed
We have all been aware of one another's’ projects for a while, but this is the first time we will work together. Art and Energy can see potential for the Mossy Carpet as a stage for performance, so have reached out to Far Flung CIC and The Sewcial Guild as they have complimentary skills and exciting ideas to add to the mossy mix!
Between us we have a rich and diverse experience of working with varied communities, empowering and showing that everyone has some agency to make change. When we work together we can really make a difference and achieve amazing things.
We see this project as being the beginning of a longer collaboration, with great potential for more opportunities to work together and reach out to invite other individuals, organisations and communities to join in.
Between us we have a rich and diverse experience of working with varied communities, empowering and showing that everyone has some agency to make change. When we work together we can really make a difference and achieve amazing things.
We see this project as being the beginning of a longer collaboration, with great potential for more opportunities to work together and reach out to invite other individuals, organisations and communities to join in.