A talk by Nikos Akritidis: Ruderal London
Saturday 7 June
10:30am-11:30am
The event will be a presentation of Nikos' research and paper titled Ruderal London - imagining urban forest futures on the traces of the Great North Wood, followed by a Q&A discussion. It explores how encounters between humans and plants can offer an analysis of urban life in 21st Century London and is situated at the intersection of urban studies, art and architectural history, environmentalism, and postcolonial theory.
Nikos' argues that postcolonial entanglements of life coexisting in the same city are essential to define their common future, probing the agencies of humans, plants, and animals to shape the urban ecosystems of tomorrow. A connected case study is drawn from three green spaces in South East London: Dulwich Wood, Sydenham Hill Wood, and Crystal Palace Park, which are all surviving parts of the ancient Great North Wood and the commons that surrounded it before they were engulfed by the city’s 19th century growth. Through the ecologies, human communities, and infrastructures that connect them, he traces their past histories, current conditions, and potential futures.
Nikolaos Akritidis is a curator and geographer based in Brussels. His work documents urban contexts, the cultural memory carried by their inhabitants, and the histories found between layers of the built environment. With a focus on urban ecology and experiences of migration, Akritidis traces the coexistence of human and more-than-human lives that give breath to the city’s constant state of becoming. A graduate of Goldsmiths and UCL, he has recently presented projects in partnership with the Cité internationale des arts (Paris), koraï project space (Nicosia), Fondations 312 (Brussels), and the UCL Urban Lab (London).
Tickets: FREE, but places are limited so booking is essential here on Eventrbrite.
Where will this event take place?
The newly refurbished St Stephen's Chapel in the Hellenic Enclosure in West Norwood Cemetery.
Please allow 15mins to walk from the main cemetery entrance on the corner of Norwood Road and Robson Road down to St Stephen's. See map on Eventbrite.
The venue has level access, and if you need to drive, then parking is also available outside the venue. An accessible toilet is available inside the venue.
Any other questions on accessibility or otherwise, please contact Kim Hart on khart@lambeth.gov.uk
This event is part of the celebrations to mark the completion of a six year National Lottery Heritage Fund project: 'A New Beginning' designed to conserve the Cemetery’s magnificent landscape and architecture, as well as offer new experiences and facilities to increase community use.
You are invited to join us from Friday 30 May through to Sunday 8 June, when the cemetery will be host to a wide range of free events and activities. For some you will need to pre-book, like this one, others you can just turn up.
Please especially join us on Saturday 31 May at 11am for the Grand Re-Opening Ceremony at the Main Entrance.
