Samantha Jones
Samantha is an artist whose practice tackles social-political issues by working through experimental and durational forms in the social productions of alternative models of community led; economic & environmental systems, land ownership, built environment and democratic access to emergent technologies.
Samantha is currently commissioned by Left Coast in Blackpool, working with residents of Grange Park, the largest housing estate in Europe to explore their right to happiness, working towards a collective Grangetopia and creating a community led ice-cream company to bring a 'Taste of Happiness'. She recently worked with In-situ In Nelson to explore the development of alternative town plan, co-produced the development of ‘Homebaked’ a durational project in Anfield, Liverpool, with Dutch artist Jeanne van Heeswijk. Initiated ‘Homefarm’ a community hydroponics lab and the womxn led ‘Homegrown Collective’, a resident led low carbon training brewery with support of with The Low Carbon Eco- Innovatory (LCEI), utilizing technology to repurpose energy form the brewing process, and recycle brewing waste, to create a circular economy. Also collaborated with Toast Ale for a recycled bread brew and Frans Illich’s, Diego de la Vega coffee coop (local artist collective BAK gallery in Utrecht organic coffee sourced locally from Zapatista farms), ‘Produktie Lab’ to create an alternative economy beer. Via Connecting Cities Urban Media Lab at IMAL in Brussels, led a team of artists, environmentalists, and technologist to co-create a networked haptic foraging prototypes and app to engage with local communities with alternative urban foraged food source. With Pier Projects in Felixstowe, she facilitated structural change within the commissioning agency and examine what ‘Care’ looks like post covid, followed by a further live commission to collaboratively develop a ‘Artists Wellbeing Rider’. During Allotment Soup residency with Art Gene, she codeveloped a living communal space, mycelium furniture and creating a communal ‘language of the field’ with both migrants and local residents.
She also was invited to take part in ‘In Transit – Urban Development and Placemaking’ research exchange led by the Goethe-Instituts, Eutropia : Cooperative Cities workshop and symposium, Berlin and presented at ‘Transforming Places from the Inside out’ One Manchester, ‘How do we reclaim our communities?’ Interdependence-Utopia-Now, Manchester international Festival, “Social Making: Socially Engaged Practice Now and Next” Plymouth University & Take Apart, ‘Food and Sustainability for the 21st Century’ Oxford Brookes, ‘Geographies of Co-production Conference’ Royal Geographic Society, ‘Creative Citizens Conference’ Royal College of Art, ‘Co-Production as Practice’ The Royal Art Institute of Stockholm, ‘The City in Co-Creation Symposium ’ Denmark and ‘Giant Step Symposia’ Vessel International Curatorial Workshop, Bari, Italy.
Her work has been supported by the European Research Council (ERC), Wellcome Trust, Goethe-Instituts, British Council, Arts Council England, Cultural Programme of the European Union, Esmée Fairbairn, Power to Change, Big Local, People Health Trust, Metabolic Studio, John Moores Foundation, Liverpool One Foundation, Workers Education Association and Lloyds School of Social Entrepreneurs and The Low Carbon Eco- Innovatory (LCEI).
