Led by curator Nella Aarne, this monthly reading group thinks through feminist engagements with human and non-human agents in the material world, spanning philosophy and science. The texts and discussions meander through a multiplicity of concepts and ways of thinking, developing into a vibrant web of ideas – the shape and character of which will organically unfold over time.

Of Animacy fosters learning through open discussion in a democratic space, with an aim to recognise vital alliances for our daily life and political thought. Reading the selected text in advance is recommended but not necessary. Printed copies will be available at the gathering and excerpts of the text will be read together to support open discussion. Of Animacy meets every month at the ICA and is always open to all.

Initiated by artist and researcher Jai McKenzie, The Perennial Institute is an experimental education project that involves a multidisciplinary group of artists, designers, biologists, gardeners, herbalists and more in a variety of global research activities. Exploring creativity through the lens of plants, the Institute approaches plants as our overlooked teachers with whom new forms of knowledge can emerge. The project explores this emerging and at times, ambiguous knowledge through embodied, feminine and intuitive approaches, cultivating alternative ground for creative practitioners to unlearn, re-root, imagine and thrive.