Earth Bound: A creative writing Workshop

In this workshop, participants will not only explore the works in the gallery through a guided tour but also reflect on how soil becomes the foil for the personal, the political and the ecological. Soil in its wider sense encompasses the earth as well as the home. Deeply embedded in the notion of soil is an understanding of our relationship with the environment, and stories of our own journeys.

Participants will be introduced to ecopoetry - a form of poetry that carries ecological messages - as well as poetry with a strong sense of home and identity as they go through readings of Mahmoud Darwish, Juliana Spahr, Temsula Ao, among others. Taking inspiration from the readings and Makanji's exhibition, participants will create their own writing that reflects on "soil" and ideas of home, memory and the environment.

This workshop will introduce the participants to connections between art and the contemporary world as well as identity and poetry. It will also provide the participants with the opportunity to incorporate pressing issues related to the environment and different pathways to rethink the notion of home.