As part of the turn towards a more ecologically connected art institution, one that can expand towards multispecies understanding, Viviana will be questioning how exposure to nature can influence institutional behaviour. Rather than simply looking at how organisations are addressing their new relationship to nature, or how they are trying to respond to current ecological and climate crises, she would like to explore the natural cross-pollination within institutional modus operandi coming directly from the natural world. In what ways institutions are really learning from nature and moving beyond a simplistic or symbolic connection to a bucolic past or to a rural idyll? This will be a lecture with curator and researcher Viviana Checchia about her thinking and practice as Director of Void Art Centre in Derry, Northern Ireland. Where she has instigated a living practice of Social Permaculture. The organisational structure is based on models of co-existence and co-creation as well as sustainable use of local resources. She is also a Co-Director of ‘Vessel’, an international curatorial platform based in Puglia, South of Italy, for the support of social, cultural, and economic development through contemporary art.
Viviana Checchia is a curator, programmer, and researcher active internationally, and currently Director of Void Art Centre in Derry where she instigated a living practice of Social Permaculture. Viviana is also Co-Director of ‘Vessel’, an international curatorial platform based in Puglia, South of Italy, for the support of social, cultural, and economic development through contemporary art. Other posts include Residency Curator at Delfina Foundation, London, Senior Lecturer on the MFA at HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg and Public Engagement Curator at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow. Viviana has produced and contributed to a range of international projects, including the Young Artist of the Year Award, Ramallah and the 4 th Athens Biennale. Viviana has lectured on curatorial studies and contemporary art practice at amongst others: the Centre for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York, MA Social Practice and the Creative Environment, Limerick Institute of Technology; the International Academy of Art Palestine, Ramallah. With Anna Santomauro, she received the 2013 ICI/Dedalus Research Award for research into the legacy of socially-engaged art practice in the U.S., and in 2016 was awarded the Igor Zabel Award for Culture and Theory Laureate’s choice for her contributions to the comprehension of and international interest in Eastern European art. Viviana holds a PhD from Loughborough University that focused on alternative Mediterranean curatorial practices. She currently serves as a trustee of cultural organisation, Timespan, Helmsdale, Scotland.
The event is hybrid. You’re welcome to attend in person—no registration is needed, and access is free. If you would like to join us online, please make sure to register using the link above.
