Part of the Humanities Cultural Programme, one of the founding stones for the
future Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities
1918 Allotment Visit is part of 1918 Allotment project.
Click here to book your place
Experience time travel by visiting a 1918 style allotment. Unless you cultivate on one – allotments are usually only glimpsed when speeding past on a train or through the allotment fence.
JC Niala welcomes you to the 1918 allotment @fig_studio.
The invitation is to share local food and poetry while exploring JC’s project and learning more about her research into urban gardening, health and World War One. 1918 was a pivotal year that saw the end of the Great War and the start of the 1918-1919 pandemic.
The 1918 Allotment is a living memorial which asks what it means to remember a ‘forgotten’ pandemic as we struggle to heal in the current one. It offers a space of interaction with nature and reflection on its benefits.
JC is an award-winning writer and storyteller whose work has been described as ‘bringing the human aspect to the forefront which is amazing’. She has performed her work on three continents including the Hay Festival in Kenya and the UK, Tate Modern & Old Fire Station.
JC is a doctoral researcher at the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford. Her thesis on allotments and guerrilla gardening is ‘Banal Utopia: urban gardening as a practice for materialising utopic city spaces’.
Each event will also host a guest poet and/ or researcher including Laura Theis and Dr. Yewande Okuleye. The visits are free, but booking is essential as the plot is on Elder Stubbs Charity Allotments so only ticket holders will be admitted at the specified times.
Wednesday 25th August: 6pm
Saturday 4th September: 3pm
Sunday 5th September: 3pm
This event is suitable for people aged 16+
This event is a collaboration between JC and Fig – a new project in Oxford that brings art, horticulture, and communities together. The project has kindly been supported by The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities and a National Lottery Project Grant.
The Small Print:
Sanitizer will be provided, and COVID-19 safety precautions taken. As the event takes place outside and local food will be served, it is not an allergen free environment. If you have concerns about allergies kindly contact the organisers on info@figstudio.com at least 3 days before the event so suitable arrangements can be made. Participation in the 1918 Allotment is entirely at the participants own risk. Photographs will be taken during the event – kindly let the organisers know if you do not wish to be included in them.
