Watching a Strange Theatre

In collaboration with Karolina Mikeskova.

Watching a Strange Theatre was a video and sculpture installation that transferred some of the features of the remarkable place of the Old Tidemill Garden – a unique, collaboratively run community space in Deptford – into the vitrine-like gallery space of Deptford X Gallery.

The garden had become a principal theatre of vegetal appreciation, a thriving habitat for wildlife and human activities through its peculiar magic of tranquillity. A livestream onto an iphone from the Old Tidemill Garden was set up in the Deptford X Gallery which gave visitors the chance to see its active life in real time, granting the ability to observe while staying unnoticed. The video was screened throughout the night when the nocturnal wildlife comes into its own, the theatre playing host to unchoreographed activity.

At the time of the exhition Deptford's wildlife haven had turned from a stage for natural processes like bloom and harvest, death and rebirth, into a scene of another existential drama regarding the garden's uncertain future; threatened as it was by a planned property development. 

During the time of the exhibition, they invited residents of Deptford alongside performers, musicians, and food makers to celebrate the garden in its beautiful spring day. Some of the performances were captured on the camera and  livestreamed to the gallery at the other side of Deptford.
 

Sadly, since the exhibition and performance took place, and despite fierce opposition from the local community, the property development was granted permission to proceed and the community garden was demolished in 2019.

The open air festival in the Old Tidemill Garden hosted live performances by Karolina Mikeskova & Lucie Kordacova Business Dudes, Au bout l'eau, Deptford Cinema and food provided by Deptford People Project. The day was curated by Karolina Mikeskova and Lucie Kordacova. 

Lucie and Karolina were the recipients of the 2016 Deptford X Fringe award, in which they were chosen to present a show in the Deptford X Gallery in spring 2017.

Images of the exhibition: Karolina Mikeskova
Images of the festival: Lucie Kordacova