There has been a surge in demand for allotments in recent times, with the waiting list in England almost doubling in the last 12 years, and they are rare examples of self-governed, non-capitalised spaces in which thrift and resourcefulness are celebrated.
Join artist Andrew Merritt and JC Niala – artist, award-winning writer and historian of allotments and urban gardening – as they speculate on the future of allotments. This will be an imaginative exploration of how allotments will need to adapt to an urban and uncertain future, and what it could take to transpose this popular form onto the intertidal zone of the seashore.
The event includes a screening of ‘The Waiting List’, a short film by JC Niala, Julia Utreras and Sam Skinner in collaboration with Greenpeace. Combining art and activism, the film highlights the scale of the allotment waiting list through the creation of a large-scale artwork and ‘living statement’. It is a clear, legal and urgent plea for change.
This event is part of the wider project Intertidal Allotment with artist Andrew Merritt. Our spring 2024 events programme invites people to imagine the possibilities for a new community allotment on the north coast of Sheppey. Together we will walk, talk and eat along the coast, learn how to identify coastal flora and fauna, explore the history of the shoreline and speculate on the future of allotments.
Intertidal Allotment is kindly supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Public engagement is supported by Ideas Test.
69 High Street, Blue Town, Sheerness ME12 1RW
The Criterion Bluetown is a 10 minute walk from Sheerness-on-Sea station. Free parking is available outside and there is pay and display parking at nearby Bridge Street car park. The Music Hall has step-free access and disabled toilet facilities.