In this event, artist Becky Warnock invites you to her Welcome Table, for conversation, listening and holding space for complexity.

In this event, artist Becky Warnock invites you to her Welcome Table, for conversation, listening and holding space for complexity. Building on the themes from across the Photoworks festival and Where We Touch The Archive project, we will focus on language, how we use it, how we refine it, and how at times it might not quite fit.

Initially developed with Peckham24, the work draws on the structure of a ‘long table’ gathering, in which audiences participate in the conversation, rather than simply observing. For each iteration, Warnock has invited artists to offer a provocation based on key themes from their work, that can spark a wider conversation, which the audience is warmly invited to participate in. When at the table, participants can also choose to contribute to the conversation by writing, drawing or mark making onto the specially designed tablecloth.

The conversation will be framed by a key question: How would it feel to make space for confusion, nuance and generosity?

At the centre of Becky Warnock’s practice is a deep interest in listening; creating projects that platform people and stories that often go unheard, and developing spaces which prioritise conversation and dialogue. For her, listening is a radical practice which is the basis of social change, fostering empathy and moments of connection.

Joining her at the table will be Photoworks Festival exhibiting artist, Jermaine Francis, with his body of work Antinomies of Remembrance which was developed with researcher Deborah Ireland through the archive of The Royal Geographical Society; Devonshire Collective Head of Programmes, Polly Wright and Photoworks Curator, Danit Ariel, who co-curated Where We Touch The Archive, a national project responding to the practice and legacy of Tessa Boffin.