°×С½ãÂÛ̳

°×С½ãÂÛ̳ staff and students are invited to create objects for this ongoing online exhibition, with the chance to have them displayed in an Octagon Gallery exhibition from September 2022.The exhibition will feature objects that have travelled back to us from different future worlds or alternative universes. It was first developed as an online exhibition in August 2020 then as a temporary display at °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Slade School of Fine Art and the Institute of Archaeology in January 2022.The Anthropocene/MisanthropoceneRecent environmental changes around the globe suggest we have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, termed the Anthropocene.In the Anthropocene, human activity has generated irreversible planetary transformations at multiple levels, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, oceans and living organisms.Emerging from the cross-disciplinary virtual school °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Anthropocene, the concept of the ‘Misanthropocene’ represents a geological apocalypse, characterised by rapid and irreversible alterations to the climate and global depletion of resources caused by humans. It presents a cautionary tale about the catastrophic implications for all life on Earth of our present inaction.The exhibits for Objects of the Misanthropocene will be fabricated to depict objects that inhabit specific dystopian worlds, from fictional and nonfictional accounts of the Anthropocene. The point of creating these objects from future or other worlds is for us to think about what we want and do not want to happen, and to do something about it.How to get involvedIf you are interested in finding out more and fabricating an exhibit, informal online workshops are running between June and August 2022, discussing future other worlds and developing ideas.All suitable exhibits created (digital, hybrid or analogue) will be included in the online exhibition, and a selection of fabricated objects will be included in the Octagon Gallery exhibition.Online workshop dates•    21 July 2022, 7pm•    4 August 2022, 7pmAll °×С½ãÂÛ̳ staff and students are welcome to participate, and no previous artistic or exhibitions experience is necessary. You will need to supply your own materials.The exhibition in the Octagon will open on 26 September 2022, so objects will need to be completed and submitted by 31 August 2022.To register your interest, please complete the online form as soon as possible to allow time to complete your objects.

[[{"fid":"15687","view_mode":"xl","fields":{"height":"827","width":"1400","class":"media-element file-large","format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Helen Pike wearing a black top and necklace looks to the left of the camera smiling, with part of the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Art Museum visible behind","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Helen Pike in the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Art Museum","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"height":"827","width":"1400","class":"media-element file-large","format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Helen Pike wearing a black top and necklace looks to the left of the camera smiling, with part of the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Art Museum visible behind","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Helen Pike in the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Art Museum","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"attributes":{"height":"827","width":"1400","class":"media-element file-xl"}}]]One of the brightest lights in °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture’s museums went out when Helen Pike sadly passed away after a short illness one year ago in May 2021. We take this opportunity to mark a year since Helen’s passing, and to remember her unique talent, enthusiasm and dedication to her colleagues and to °×С½ãÂÛ̳.After a successful career in the arts and cultural sector, Helen joined °×С½ãÂÛ̳ in 2012 and spent the next nine years shining in the role of the Petrie Museum’s Public Programme Manager. Anyone who attended °×С½ãÂÛ̳ museum events over the past nine years couldn’t fail but be inspired by Helen’s unique energy and spirit, and enthusiasm for all those who, like her, loved learning from the collections. Above all, Helen pioneered an approach to learning and engagement in museums that was energetic, exciting, and fabulously different. There was always a guarantee of a warm welcome where Helen was involved, for everyone from her army of dedicated volunteers to our many museum visitors.Helen worked closely with Debbie Challis (Public Programme Manager) to develop a sector-leading events programme, featuring everything from a regular Petrie Film Club to a steampunk-inspired ‘Fin de siècle’ event which saw the Petrie Museum packed to the rafters with happy revellers enjoying the collections. She always found innovative and exciting ways to make the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ collections accessible to all: from a glitzy ‘Egyptomania’ evening event, LGBTQ+ talks exploring the collection in new ways, storytelling and shadow-puppet sessions for young children, to virtual reality museum tours, Helen made everybody feel welcome and included. Helen’s dedication to the Petrie Museum in particular is now firmly embedded in the history of the collection, and her determination to tell the stories of the women behind the collection such as Violette Lafleur and Amelia Edwards —some of which she herself rediscovered—means that they too can now be remembered.Always professional but never too serious, Helen brought cheer and laughter to her colleagues during her time at °×С½ãÂÛ̳ and made working in the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ museums a wonderful experience for all those around her. She was a force for good in the museum world: always asking ‘who’s it for?’ and never afraid to try things a different way if it meant that they could be more inclusive and exciting. Meetings with Helen were always collaborative and fun, and everyone at the table would leave buzzing with possibilities. She worked most effectively with colourful pens, post-its and huge pieces of paper tacked to walls where everyone could share their ideas. Helen’s vast network of colleagues and friends across °×С½ãÂÛ̳ and beyond, many of whom had the pleasure of attending such meetings, is testament to her infectious enthusiasm for sharing the collections, and her determination to spark progressive change through making new connections.We continue to see Helen’s legacy every day: in the new intake of museum volunteers, in the sparks we see when visitors learn from the collections, and in so many other ways. These wonderful legacies will live on at °×С½ãÂÛ̳, particularly in the °×С½ãÂÛ̳ museums, where Helen will be forever remembered as our fiercely intelligent, hilariously funny, and impossibly glamorous friend.Helen’s friends and colleagues in °×С½ãÂÛ̳ Culture