Join us for a behind the scenes tour of Spike Island where two artists will open their studio doors to the public. This is a chance to explore the building’s unique architectural features and meet some of the artists based at Spike Island, learn about their practice and view works in progress.
On this visit, we meet artists dhaqan collective and Natasha MacVoy. dhaqan collective is a feminist art collective led by Fozia Ismail and Ayan Cilmi, who support Somali women and put the voices of womxn and elders in their community at the centre of their practice through collaboration. MacVoy is a sculptor, who’s practice includes murals, ceramics, writing, performance and film.
Tour schedule:
10:45: Meet at reception
11:00: Tour of Floor 1
11:15: Studio visit with dhaqan collective
11:45: Tour of Ground Floor
12:00: Studio visit with Natasha MacVoy
12:30: End
dhaqan collective is led by Fozia Ismail and Ayan Cilmi. Their practice seeks to find ways of building imaginative futures that support Somali people here and in East Africa to resist the threats over their cultural heritage. The collective uses everyday materials, cassette tapes, food, and textiles, to create spaces of community, joy and healing that centre the full range of Somali diasporic experiences.
Based in Bristol, they are residents of Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio and Spike Island Studio holders. Their work has been commissioned and presented by Watershed, Arnolfini, Counterpoint Arts, British Library, London School of Economics, Wellcome Collection, Serpentine Gallery, Sharjah Art Foundation, Southbank Centre, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Venice Architecture Biennial and the Weltmuseum in Vienna. In 2023 they received the WEVAA fellowship for their ongoing research into black feminist material cultures. Most recently they have been selected for Columbia University’s Digital Dozen Breakthroughs in Digital Storytelling 2024.
Natasha MacVoy’s sculptural practice includes murals, ceramics, writing, performance and film to create installations and environments. Her work is a generous, gentle and complex study of mothering, identity, loss, gain and unconditional love through the lens of neurodiversity. In her practice she explores adaptive care and education in a broken system, expertise as protection and hope through radical connection.
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