Hypericum: A Code of Practice
Research
Initiated by Obsidian Coast Hypericum: A Code of Practice,
is a research project developing a collectively produced, ever-evolving
code of practice for feminist, antiracist, anticolonial and
environmentally sustainable arts organising.
The project is led by a newly formed working group of UK based arts
workers and small-scale organisations: Angela Chan, Divya Osbon, Anjali
Prashar-Savoie, Jamila Prowse, La Sala and Obsidian Coast.
We feel that cultural organisations hold the potential to participate
in reimagining the socio-political conditions under which we live, but
often any tangibly counterhegemonic practice is curtailed by the
reliance of organisations on predominant value systems of
hetero/cissexist patriarchy, white supremacy, ableism, capitalist
extraction, competition and accelerated production with maximum
efficiency. Hypericum is an attempt to envision what it would
mean to place care, generosity and solidarity in the crux of all arts
organising, and to share these imaginings as an evolving open source
code for practice.
The foundation of this open source code may entail – but
will not be limited to – essays, practical guidelines, pledges and
glossaries. These may address safer space guidelines, accessibility,
formation and maintenance of ethical working relationships, counter
strategies for dealing with master suppression techniques, or proposals
for support structures to enforce collectivity within an increasingly
precarious professional field. The contents may be analytical, practical
or speculative, whatever is deemed most helpful and generative. The
only predetermined condition of the code of practice is that it always
stems from a specific context and never perceives itself to be an
all-encompassing, complete or static entity.
We are at the very
beginning of our shared journey. When our foundational work reaches an
appropriate stage, we will bring our research and conversations to the
public realm, hosting open discussions and inviting contributions from
all who wish to partake in this collective endeavour.
For more information visit the Hypericum website.