Access to Grief: Chris Alton, Emily Simpson & Jhinuk Sarkar
Thursday 18 April
7 - 8:30pm
Free & Open to All (Online via Zoom)
Documentation image from a Words to Grieve workshop. Image credit: Chris Alton.
Overwhelmingly considered a 'private affair', grief is recast as a shared, collective experience in Chris Alton & Emily Simpson's programme with Bloc Projects, Grief must be Love with Nowhere to Go. In this guided conversation, the artists will work through some of their developmental ideas alongside artist-facilitator Jhinuk Sarkar, who helped make access an integral part of this work. Together, we will explore the sensitivities involved in the going public of grief, the challenges of inviting others to these interpersonal exchanges, and what we have learned about inclusivity through this project.
Emily Simpson is an artist, curator and workshop facilitator. Their work looks at love, lols and loss; explored through textiles, writing, zines, events, print-making and curation amongst other things. The work often questions how experiences (of loss, life, language) are shaped by the non-binary perspective and the political implications of this. Emily founded oh kay gall, an artist-led gallery which ran from 2018-2019 in York. Emily lives in Manchester and has a cat named Tofu.
Chris Alton is an artist, based in Manchester. His practice spans a range of media and approaches, including; socially engaged projects, video essays, textile banners, and publications. Each of his projects addresses an array of interconnected social, political, economic and environmental concerns.
Jhinuk Sarkar is an illustrator and educator living in london. Alongside their creative practice, they work as an Access Consultant, having been the Access Lead for Turf Projects as well as consulted for Unlimited's Shape Arts. They co-produce the Square Hole Podcast that explores Neurodiversity in the creative industries.