Codices, Cycles, Cosmologies

Join a workshop to trace connections between agro-ecological ways of being in Mexico and Scotland. Informed by ongoing research with growers in Oaxaca and Chiapas, this event aims to hold space for a conversation around pre- and post-colonial relationships to land, plants and food.

• Explore illustrations from the codices – indigenous manuscripts created in Mesoamerica before and during the Spanish colonial period

• Reflect on these through drawing exercises led by artist Désirée Coral, exploring the philosophy of plant-centred cultures, and the dangers of extractivism

• Learn about the work of the Food Sovereignty Network and their ongoing engagement with agro-ecological movements in Mexico

• View new commissioned works by Mexican artists, Asunción Álvares and Mari Mariel.

• Practise the ancestral art of processing seeds with Glasgow Seed Library

The workshop is an opportunity for anyone interested in growing, botany, food cultures, indigenous lifeways, and artistic practice as a process of exchange. All welcome.

About the organisers

The Food Sovereignty Network at University of Glasgow focuses attention on how ideas and practices of history, power, and justice are integral to food production and consumption. It brings together academics, activists, artists and growers, to understand the problems in our interconnected global and local food systems.

Glasgow Seed Library is a collection of seeds and a community of growers. The library stocks organic and open-pollinated vegetable, herb and flower seeds for everyone to borrow, grow and save. Throughout the year, Glasgow Seed Library organises free workshops, talks and events around seed skills, community growing and earth care.

Désirée Coral is an Ecuadorian artist and a doctoral researcher at DJCAD, University of Dundee. In her practice, Désirée delves into early global botanical exchanges, examining indigenous cosmologies and archaeological objects to challenge contemporary approaches to nature. In 2022, Désirée was Glasgow Seed Library’s first artist and researcher in residence, which culminated in an installation at CCA called Eating the Ancestors.

Accessibility

The Clubroom is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible toilet on the same level. Please email glasgowseedlibrary@cca-glasgow.com if you’d like to make an access request.