As part of Ben Judd’s Stanley Picker Fellowship project The Origin, a series of workshops, performances, talks and tours took place at Stanley Picker Gallery, a boat moored in Kingston Upon Thames and online throughout June and July 2021.

On 2 July, Sustainable Design from Kingston School of Art gave a talk on the Boat. The talk was led by Paul Micklethwaite, researcher and practitioner in design for social innovation and sustainability and Senior Lecturer at Kingston University.  Current students Juhi, Wenche, Nidhi, Claire and Alison also discussed their river-based projects from the last year, such as communities forming around natural sites and ecological literacy: 

Wenche Strøm: ‘Bio Puzzle’ – rewilding Knights Park

Juhi Bhowal: ‘My Hogsmill’ – increasing the social value of the river

Nidhi Tiwari: ‘Diving into the Future’ – reviving Surbiton’s Lidos

Claire Brierley: ‘Tolworth Oaks Community Park’

Alison Andrews: ‘A model of a South East London community which is inclusive and participatory’

Ben Judd’s Stanley Picker Fellowship project The Origin reflects on Britain’s island status, both literal and metaphorical, and how islands shape the communities that live there. The Origin brings together the communities surrounding the Stanley Picker Gallery – from Kingston University students and academics to local networks, charities and residents – and asks them to imagine a classless, stateless, humane society based on common ownership. A temporary community, an experiment in living, a fictional island group. This collaborative project culminates this summer with an installation at the Gallery, a boat on the River Thames and a series of performances, workshops and events – a rehearsal for an alternative future.