This year, Newham and Greenwich boroughs are paired together to work with Artists in Residence, Tatenda Naomi Matsvai and George Murphy, for SPINE Festival 2023. Below are details on how to contact participant libraries and more information about the artists. We’ll be adding to this page later in March with events that are happening during the festival.
Newham
Website: see what’s on
Twitter: @NewhamLibraries
Facebook: @NewhamCouncil
Youtube: LBNewham
Events
Sat 22 Apr – 11.30-13.30
Crafting a Kindness City with George Murphy and Tatenda Matsvai
These enriching participatory workshops will explore the themes of kindness through visual art and poetry writing. Participants will reflect upon the tools and impact of kindness on themselves and the world around them through several poetry writing exercises that culminate in the creation of a poetic kindness manifesto for a future kind city. A visual response led by experimental print artist George Murphy will create a Kindness map of these cities through printed/collage drawings.
Participants will leave with an understanding of kindness, techniques of empathy and creative bookmarks combining their manifestos and maps.
Location: Plaistow Library, North Street, E13 9HN
Link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crafting-a-kindness-city-tickets-575975286587
SPIN Show | Wed 3 May – 10.30-11.15 – Newham with Arji Manuelpilla, Miss Jacqui and Jaspreet Kaur
Greenwich
Website: see the library directories.
Twitter: @greenwichlibs
Facebook: @greenwichlibs
Instagram: @royal_greenwich
Events
Sat 29 Apr – 11.30-13.30
Crafting a Kindness with Tatenda Naomi Matsvai & George Murphy
These enriching participatory workshops will explore the themes of kindness through visual art and poetry writing. Participants will reflect upon the tools and impact of kindness on themselves and the world around them through several poetry writing exercises that culminate in the creation of a poetic kindness manifesto for a future kind city. A visual response led by experimental print artist George Murphy will create a Kindness map of these cities through printed/collage drawings.
Participants will leave with an understanding of kindness, techniques of empathy and creative bookmarks combining their manifestos and maps.
Location: Woolwich Centre Library, 35 Wellington St, London SE18 6HQ
SPIN Show | Wed 3 May – 13.30-14.15 with Güneş Güven, Laila Sumpton and Miss Jacqui.
Artists in Residence
Tatenda Naomi Matsvai
Artform: poetry/spoken word
Tatenda Naomi Matsvai (aka 2tender) is a facilitator and devised performance maker, working with spoken word poetry in theatrical and non-theatrical performance contexts. Tatenda’s work is mainly bio mythical, infusing their lived experience with myth, to challenge colonial cosmologies. Their performances are joyful, participatory, and multidimensional.
They are currently developing their solo show Dark Matter for the Vault Festival on the 21st-25th February 2023. Tatenda’s work has been Offie nominated, and performed as part of Theatre Peckham, The Roundhouse Camden, The Cockpit for Voila Europe! festival and Between.Pomiędzy literary Festival (Poland).
Connect with Tatenda:
Website www.tatendanmatsvai.com
Twitter @MyNamesTatenda
Instagram @tatendax
George Murphy
Artform: printmaking
George Murphy is a self-taught artist, printmaker and creative educator based in North London. They first started making art during a period of illness so that people would stop telling them to get a hobby, and have been doing it ever since.
George’s work increasingly explores themes around queerness, social justice, community care and disability. Most of their prints are a bit wonky and are hand-pressed using a metal spoon.
George loves creating art with others and is interested in exploring its potential as a medium for connection and social change. They have facilitated workshops for people of all ages and are passionate about making art accessible (and fun!) for everybody. They believe there is no such thing as bad drawing.
Connect with George:
Instagram @george.r.m.art