Sophie J WILLIAMSON

Emii Alrai: Approaching the Scar

The Hepworth Wakefield and Iniva | July 2022

 

A key part of Emii Alrai’s research and work on her Future Collect commission A Core of Scar has been exploring landscapes across the United Kingdom, having travelled from the very north of Scotland to Land’s End on the Cornish coast. For Emii’s second study day we will take an excursion to the Gordale Scar, a hidden gorge in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and a key research site in Emii’s work towards her commission.

As we approach the scar, we will discuss the links between body and landscape and consider the histories written into different terrains. By engaging in conversations with the landscape, we will explore the links and parallels between land/body and human/body, exploring their shared histories, ruptures, and shifting narratives. What does it mean to reclaim representation in the landscape and how can we create space for diasporic bodies in our relationship with the land?

Readings by Sophie J Williamson & Daisy Hildyard, meditative poetry by Davinia-Ann Robinson and entomology guide by Milo Phillips.