Landscapes of Hope: Day of Talks

Landscapes of Hope: Day of Talks

Date: 17th August

Location: Digital:Glassworks

On the occasion of the exhibition, Landscapes of Hope, at SCHOOL in Folkestone,

curator Becca Pelly-Fry and artist Susie Olczak present a day of discussion in

response to and further exploring the themes within.

Landscapes of Hope is a two-person show of works by Rachael Champion and Susie

Olczak, curated by Becca Pelly-Fry. Both artists transmit ideas of local hopefulness

in the context of the widespread climate challenges we all face, through stories of

adaptation. Considering local stories, customs and rituals, the exhibition is a visual

experiment in responding to landscape, exploring community resilience and

adaptability. Located in a ‘borderland’ territory, both a coastal location and a frontier

town facing Europe, Landscapes of Hope offers ways of navigating the most

pertinent and challenging issues of our time. Both artists are interested in overturning

ideas of human supremacy, encouraging a return to nature-led intelligence and

tending to the pockets of hope that exist within hostile conditions.

The day of talks draws on the expertise of a range of cultural practitioners and

academics, inviting them to respond to a set of provocations emerging from Olczak

and Champion’s research and artistic practices. Olczak’s recent residencies in Latin

America consider local rituals and routines of life as the foundations for making

engaging stories in extreme environments. Champions’ work addresses the

corporeality of the materials we extract, transform and consume, and how these

actions affect the physical characteristics of landscapes and ecosystems.

Invited speakers are:

Sorcha Carey, Curator of Folkestone Triennial 2025

Professor Catherine Dormor, Head of College, University of Westminster

Daniel Keech, senior research fellow, University of Gloucestershire Countryside

Community Research Institute

Alison Neighbour, Welsh Folkestone-based multi-disciplinary artist and

scenographer

John Kenneth Paranada, Curator of Art and Climate Change at Sainsbury Centre

Nastja Sade-Ronkko, Finnish artist, exhibiting in Dover during the summer

Sara Trillo, Kent-based Folkestone Triennial 2025 artist

Tickets include drinks and a locally sourced vegetarian lunch.

Participants are also invited to view the exhibition:

The exhibition runs from 12th July- 23rd August 2025

School Gallery, Folkestone

Landscapes of Hope

Rachael Champion and Susie Olczak 

Curated by Becca Pelly-Fry

Opening event: Saturday 12 July, 4 - 9pm

Opening Times (During Exhibitions):
Friday: 11am to 5pm
Saturday: 11am to 5pm
Sunday: 11am to 4pm
Or by appointment

Telephone: +44 (0)330 122 8661
Email: aW5mbyB8IHNjaG9vbGdhbGxlcnkgISBjbyAhIHVr
Free Entry

Also check out other Arts events in Folkestone, Exhibitions in Folkestone.