Blog | Angela YT Chan

2018

Art & Ecology Talk with London Creative Network at SPACE

For SPACE's Artist Development programme, London Creative Network (LCN), I gave a presentation of my creative practice and joined Kristina Pulejkova and Michael Smythe for a panel discussion. We spoke about our working at the intersection of ecology, science, activism and art, the session focused on different perspectives around ecology in the urban and digital space.

September 5, 2018

talk
Speaking of Inheritance Talk for Friday Late: Threads at V&A Museum in London

I joined a series of speakers on a relay-style panel talk to discuss how racial justice informs our work. 'Black and Asian histories are a vital part of Britain’s fabric. How are these voices recorded and remembered today? Join us this Friday Late as we reframe the archive and put untold histories on the map. See dancers explore hybrid identities and hear poets recount stories of inheritance. From improvised music to independent publishing, celebrate those claiming space and building new communities on the foundations of heritage.'

August 31, 2018

talk
Knowledge Sharing, Care (Towards Self, Community and Ecologies) and Social Justice Talk In formation III : Embodied Knowledge: Ecology and Performance at ICA in London

For In formation III, I delivered a research-based presentation that explored my curatorial practice in arts and climate change. 'The information that our bodies know and use without conscious thought is a rich form of knowledge that allows for a more fully-embodied connection to the non-human world. Engaging in such forms of ‘embodied knowledge’, creative climate change communicator Worm (Angela Chan), sound artist Robbie Judkins and writer João Florêncio present an evening of performance-lectures that draw on ecology as both a subject and a methodology.'

August 29, 2018

talk
Creativity/Strategy: Navigating Institutions as POC Talk for the daikon* Issue 5 Migration Zine Launch

For daikon*'s launch of Issue #5 Migration I contributed to the panel discussion Creativity/Strategy: navigating institutions as POC, alongside photographer Bernice Mulenga and curator Amrita Dhallu. Together, we talked 'about working in, and making a difference in, the arts sector; fighting the exploitation of artists through self- and collective care and the prioritisation of wellbeing; and, the importance of supporting other marginalised people in the workplace and in artistic practices. Through these discussions they broke down some of the ways they navigate institutions which don't always have the interests of women of colour at their heart.' daikon* was 'a platform for the writing and art of South-East and East Asian women and non-binary people in Europe.'

August 11, 2018

talk
Climate Fiction Reading Session for Becoming Plant with Tenderpixel at Regent's Park London

I hosted the second reading session of Tenderpixel's public programme accompanying the exhibition 'Becoming Plant', meeting in the Queen Mary's Rose Gardens, in the inner circle of Regent's Park. Focusing on my research into science fiction about climate change, specifically by contemporary Chinese SF authors, the event introduced the participants to the Chinese short SF story 'The Rainforest' by Chi Hui (aka Yulin, 雨林, translated by Jie Li), which explores a future world taken over by plantlike nanostructures.

August 5, 2018

workshop science fiction
www.waste Workshop for SURPLUS at Peak Art in the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre

In the frame of the exhibition SURPLUS, an exploration of natural and synthetic detritus, this workshop explored the worldwide environmental problem of plastic pollution. Focusing on recycling, the session considered the 'What', 'Who' and 'Where' that are affected by the consumption habits, economics and politics involved in the plastic recycling industry as part of the supply chain. Through group activities, the participants mapped the justice issues of plastic waste and what it meant to see the problem as more than an individual responsibility and one that calls for a system change.

June 30, 2018

workshop
w the worm Short Speculative Fiction Published and Exhibited with The Institute of Queer Ecology (IQECO) at Prairie in Chicago

My story 'w the worm' was published for The Institute of Queer Ecology (IQECO)'s Towards A Common Survival, a compilation of 33 creative contributions in light of the increasingly difficult political spaces for justice work. A wall print of my story and the gathering of work for Towards A Common Survival was exhibited at Prairie in Chicago. (May 26, 2018 → July 1, 2018)

May 26, 2018

writing / publication exhibited in science fiction
What Next? Climate Change London Chapter with Julie's Bicycle

I attended three sessions of What Next? Climate Change, an event series for a national community of individuals working in the arts with an interest in culturally mitigating climate change. The London chapter was hosted by Julie's Bicycle, a non-profit arts organisation working towards a green transition in the cultural sector, which I was working for on their Seven Climate Trends campaign that autumn. The sessions have been held at Tara Arts, the UK House of Lords and the National Theatre. (May 16, 2018 → December 13, 2018)

May 17, 2018

workshop participation policy
Tracts Residency with Julia Crabtree and Will Evans at Wysing Arts Centre

I joined a 4-day retreat organised by artists Julia Crabtree and William Evans, who brought together a group of artists, writers and researchers at Wysing Arts Centre. Together with Katrina Black, Jamie Bracken Lobb, Lilah Fowler, Karen Kramer, Alice Hattrick, Rachel Pimm and Jamie Sutcliffe, our group spent time sharing works-in-progress, and took walks in the fields and spent time at the Wysing farmhouse. We heard from the artist duo about their long-term research themes and the development of their recent exhibitions 'Gullet' and 'Gulch', which led to further group discussions on our research practices that relating to the themes of ecologies, kin, care and collective learning. (May 4, 2018 → May 6, 2018)

May 4, 2018

residency collaboration
Nature and Music Talk with Moonbow and Stray Landings on Resonance FM London

In conversation with El Hardwick / Moonbow, I spoke on the Resonance FM for the show Stray Landings hosted by Georgie McVicar and Object Blue. Our discussion explored nature and music's complex relationship, particularly in relation to their conflicts and harmonies with technology, aesthetics and the politics of ecology.

April 26, 2018

talk collaboration
Arts and Climate Change Talk for Earth Day 2018 at Somerset House in London

I delivered an artist talk as part of Somerset House's Earth Day programming. Contemplating the growing awareness of climate change in contemporary art today, I framed the talk on the question 'How do we participate effectively and sincerely as part of these ecologies?' The talk dissected the challenges in contemporary aesthetics of ecology, the politics of being an environmentally-engaged arts practitioner, and the need to decolonise the arts to forefront environmental justice in our intersections of art and ecology.

April 22, 2018

talk
Decolonising Art and Environmentalism Talk for Poppositions in Brussels

As part of the public programme that runs beside the art fair alternative titled 'In Watermelon Sugar', I delivered a talk on Decolonising Art and Environmentalism with examples of my curatorial practice. The talk was held at the former Atelier Coppens, and in its 7th edition, the programme's thematic focus was on creative world-making beyond the anthroprocene and petrocapitalism.

April 20, 2018

talk
Decolonising Polar Exploration Workshop for Iceberg in the Room at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum in Cheltenham

For Iceberg in the Room, I gave a talk about my curatorial activities as Worm: art + ecology and why it is important to refocus the communication of climate change with the voices, histories and experiences of people of colour and Indigenous peoples. The workshop included an informal reading session of short articles to collectively introduce the topics of decolonising polar exploration histories. The session aimed to introduce what Traditional Ecological Knowledge teaches Western climate science, and the ongoing political struggle for Arctic Indigenous rights.

April 15, 2018

workshop
Refuse: (v)(n)(-) Online Exhibition by Worm: art + ecology

Throughout 2018, Refuse: (v)(n)(-) was an online exhibition of 16 artists in 13 projects covering a range of ecological issues. It was curated by Worm: art + ecology (aka Angela YT Chan) and designed by Alex Walker. It frames today’s environmental challenges alongside the current climate for creative production. Exploring three interpretations of the word refuse, as a verb, a noun, and a hyphenated potential, Refuse: (v)(n)(-) focuses on ecological resistance, deterioration and restoration. (January 1, 2018 → December 31, 2018)

January 1, 2018

curation

2017

2016

Tipping Points Curation Exhibited at Podium in Oslo

In my first year of online activities as Worm: art + ecology, I was invited by Podium in Oslo to guest curate its first international exhibition as part of the gallery's year-long focus on ecologies. Titled 'Tipping Points: Flourish and Collapse in the Circularity of the Geostory', it showed five international artists representing humankind’s micro- to macroscopic manipulations of nature that have accumulated to the ‘tipping points’ of climate change. Together with Rachel Pimm, Lori E. Allen, Joey Holder, Andreas Ervik and Jakob Kudsk Steensen, our exhibition opened on Earth Day 2016 with artist performances. The project was fully funded by Kulturrådet (Arts Council Norway). (April 22, 2016 → May 1, 2016)

April 22, 2016

curation

2015

FOMO Collage Illustration (Self-) Published in Hitozine #1

My collage illustration for the first issue of Hitozine, a fanzine about artist Hito Steyerl, was published in a zine that features articles inspired by Hito’s practice - started off as and still is a joke. It was created on the occasion of 'FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)', a three-day talks event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London from 29–31 May 2015. It 'features Hito's quotes, fashion, memes, tweets etc.' Contributors include Peter Willis, Cui Su, Michael Crowe, Harman Bains, Ash Reid, Erin Nicole Johnson, Angela YT Chan. Printed by Studio Operative.

July 4, 2015

illustration writing / publication

2014

Worm: art + ecology Begins as an Online Platform for Climate Arts

I independently produced a long-term curatorial project called Worm: art + ecology. It focused on communicating climate change issues through contemporary art and creative practices and began in late 2014 as an online blog that regularly published interviews with artists, researchers and activists.

October 1, 2014

curation workshop talk