Imagining contemporary symbolism to explore historical rural enclosure

On the summer solstice, a thought-provoking event titled Cosmology of the Rural took place online. This conversation brought together artist Leah Gordon, researcher and writer Annabel Edwards, and image collector and author Stephen Ellcock. Together they explored the historical significance of rural enclosure and its contemporary symbolism.

Annabel commenced the talk with an insightful background on the devastating impact of enclosures on the lives of the English peasantry. Leah ventured into the grassroots history (or lack) of representing the rural and the challenge of creating a symbolism that speaks to a contemporary audience. As the talk progressed, Leah and Stephen delved deeper into the themes and ideas presented, bridging the gap between historical context and contemporary interpretations.

The event concluded with a question and answer session. We weren’t able to answer all questions during the online event so we will be following them up at a later date on social media.

This event related to the exhibition Monument to the Vanquished | Part II | Rural Rebels.

If you missed the talk you can watch it back below.