A new exhibition being held at The Hive will showcase artwork produced by the local community reflecting on the importance of and need to protect our rivers and ocean.
Members of Worcester Craftivists with the work they produced in a Sirens of Sustainability workshop that will be part of the exhibition, alongside exhibition lead lecturer Tobias Hickey (left)
Illustration experts at the University of Worcester have been holding a series of workshops with schools, colleges and community groups to explore these issues through myths and folktales about the protectors of our rivers alongside stories of modern-day activism.
The posters produced in response to these sessions will be on display in the Sirens of Sustainability exhibition at The Hive from Tuesday, April 15, to May 26.
Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for Illustration, Tobias Hickey, who is leading on the project, said: “River literacy is not spoken about much in this country. The UN (United Nations) are really pushing ocean literacy, but I wanted this to be a bit closer to home so that people could relate to it. I wanted communities that have got lived experience of the rivers to engage with a project which is more linked to their location.”
The Sirens of Sustainability sessions take inspiration from tales of merfolk and the folk tales surrounding protectors of the local rivers, such as Sabrina on the River Severn and Gwy on the River Wye. They also look at the local elements of river protection and explore the value of rivers and what they do, and what local activists are doing to protect them. Participants designed their own character and created a poster using collage, drawing and print making.
“Some of the feedback from these sessions was great,” said Mr Hickey. “People talked about how, living in a land locked community, they hadn’t thought about how the ocean affects their lives and our historic relationship with the sea.”
Contributors to the exhibition include Worcester Craftivists, Heart of Worcestershire College, Worcester Sixth Form College, Hereford Sixth Form College, BMET and Walsall College.
In addition to the co-produced artworks, there will be exhibitions on local and international environmental activists and their activities to protect our rivers, oceans and the environment.
The workshops, which began at the Hay Literary Festival in May 2024, are a spin off from the University’s hugely successful Sea Change, an international art project looking at the impact of environmental issues like climate change, flooding and water pollution. Artists from all over the world responded with a postcard reflecting on these issues which then went on display in The Hive before the exhibition travelled around the world and was collated into a book.
“I think visitors to this new exhibition will see a real diverse range of responses to the Sea Change and Sirens project,” said Mr Hickey. “They’ll see how an international artist collective can connect to local issues and concerns and I think they can also see how they can be part of learning and finding solutions through everyday activities.”