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Forthcoming Events
Through the Microscope residencies and exhibition
Through the Microscope research starts in October 2024. As artists in residence at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse Museum and at the John Innes Centre we will explore the past present and future of the Norfolk landscape using images captured through microscopes. Our research will be assisted by archivists and scientists from the John Innes bio-imaging and historic collections, the newly launched Centre for Microbial Interactions, as well as by the curator at Gressenhall, Rachel Kidd.
In spring 2025 we will launch the Through the Microscope exhibition at Gressenhall, marking 400 years of the use of the term ‘microscope’. During summer 2025 we will develop art trails across the museum site with local communities and a tour of art for three Norfolk libraries as part of the Britrish Library's Living Knowledge Network exhibition.
Previous Events
Creative workshops with Out There Arts - Great Yarmouth Aug, Sept 24
Our activities Stomping Ground included: Jennie Pedley's Birds Eye Britain environmental tile game, Adrian Draigo's windmills making from empty milk containers, Tara Sampy's printmaking.
Reimagine the City - Norwich , 5th May 2024, 2 till 5 at Stage Two, Theatre Royal, Norwich
Get creative to re-imagine a future living in balance with nature. Experiment with artists Jennie Pedley and Tara Sampy to compose scenes exploring the future of food. Use an overhead projector and screen to enter into your new world to try out your role in a healthy sustainable future. Capture a silhouette selfie to keep and share.
Chat with artists and Sabina Virani, coordinator of Sustainable Food Norwich to develop your ideas, draw on resources such as Doughnut Economics.
please book to join us for this exciting event.
We will be working alongside the Climate Museum UK, Culture Declares Emergency the Wastesmiths, and Hocus Pocus Theatre, SYSTA, Norwich Doughnut Group and more. Thanks to Norwich Theatre and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for their support.
Art Science Display Touring to Cathedral Refectory 8th April 2024
We
are looking forward to touring our display from the Earlham institute on Norwich research Park to Norwich Cathedral Refectory for one night only. The exhibit
will be part of the Norwich Pint of Science Festival ticket launch event.
We just found out that the tickets are all sold out.
Images show lamps made of waste streams from Earlham Institute by Adrian Draigo and prints by Tara Sampy and Jennie Pedley.
Art Science and Horticulture - a short introduction to Edible East activities.
25th of March 2024 at 7pm, join Norfolk Organic Group (NOG)at The Friends Meeting House, Norwich, all welcome.
Artists Jennie Pedley and Tara Sampy will take you on a whistle-stop tour through their recent projects. There will then be a chance for you to explore a variety of activities, including playing with; Birds Eye Britain Environmental Tile Game, Orchard and River Mini Shadow Theatre kits, Hopes for Health gut microbe installation. You can also explore Tara Sampy's art practice of making prints from plants and read about our Art Science Trail about the Future of Food in the Incredible Edible's Book, Seeds to Solutions. You might like to purchase greeting cards made by printing plants or Mini Shadow Theatre Kits.
At 8.30 NOG will hold their AGM.
Edible East activities from our first events in Norwich 2021-22.
Survey a green space to gain skills to start to plan a garden.
17th Feb. 2024 from 12.30 at 185 Drayton Road, Mile Cross, Norwich.
Join the the enthusiastic sharer of skills, our very own horticulturalist Nik Thomson in the new community garden space behind the community shop, courtesy of MileXchange.
Learn how to consider different aspects of a plot of land. Find out about the soil, the direction of light and to identify what is growing there now and what that means for what will grow in the future. Consider how best to work with the changing climate. A fun accessible session, no previous experience necessary. Gain information to inform the planning of this community garden in Mile Cross.
People exploring the soil and the layout of the land with Nik Thomson.
Norwich Seed and Plant Swap, 11th Feb 1-3 St Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Silver Road - Art of the Pea Creatures
Pea Creatures - Art of the Sprouting Pea
Drawing
is a great way to get to know plants. Join artists Jennie Pedley and
Tara Sampy to
draw your own dragon-like forms of peas, shoots and roots.
Chat about
sprouting and take dried peas to sprout at home.
Pea Sprout watercolour by Jennie Pedley
Display of art and design at the Earlham Institute on Norwich Research Park Dec 23 to Spring 2024
Tara Sampy's and Jennie Pedley's images and lamps by Adrian Draigo. The lamps and some imagery were the result of collaborations with the Earlham Institute. Some images were from our Art Science Trail about the Future of Food.
Past News and Events
Launch of Sustainable Food Norwich, St Andrew's Hall, Dec 2023
Jennie Pedley and Tara Sampy led a fun session creative session at this exciting day. They used a collection of re-used materials including wool, construction toys and Jennie's collection of art postcards to enable participants to explore ideas about what sustainable food systems could look like in Norwich.
Norwich, a City in an Orchard Saturday 11th Nov 12-2 Mile Cross Library
Join us and Sustainable Food Norwich at Mile Cross Library on Saturday the 11th of November between 12 and 2.00.
Meet our expert horticulturalist Nik Thomson - Learn how to grow food from trees and shrubs, plant and take home your own seed in a compostable pot.
Join artists Jennie Pedley and Tara Sampy to combine drawing and printing with leaves to reimagine Norwich as a city in an orchard as it was described in years gone by.
Discuss local food projects with Sustainable Food Norwich and add to their map of Norwich.
Part of the Possitopia Festival hosted by Climate Change UK and Norwich Eco Hub.
https://possitopianorwich.me/possitopia-festival
Family Shadow Theatre Workshops with Creative Arts East
Working with Creative Arts East and Norfolk Libraries we will be running workshops for families in Fakenham 30th September and Mile Cross 14th October 2023.
For the first time Jennie Pedley's shadow theatre workshops will benefit from the exciting input of storyteller Jonathan Lambert and printed imagery from Tara Sampy.
Booking essential through Creative Arts East's Ticket Source
These events are supported by Arts Council England and Norfolk County Council.
Publicity has been produced by Creative Arts East with imagery by Jennie Pedley.
Art, Health and Biodiversity workshop for Heritage Open Days 23
Hosted by Norwich Historic Churches Trust artist, gardener and Edible East director Tara Sampy led a plant printmaking session at St Martin at Palace, Norwich.
Participants layered up shapes of plants and the textures of stone text within the churches.
The site also gave participants the opportunity to visit the historical memorials to local Botanist's, made by the Heavenly Gardens and the Hopes for Health Microbe Alcove from Jennie Pedley's residency at the Quadram Institute.
Peas for People - Norfolk Healthy Environment Day 2023
A fun and friendly event in a gazebo shared with Climate Museum UK for the Big Green Week at Norfolk Healthy Environment Day hosted by Norwich Friends of the Earth.
All three of our directors together, sharing peas for sprouting or planting outside, there was still time in June to get growing outdoors.
The hangings at the back of the gazebo are designs exploring ideas about rubbish versus compost by Federick Jay Hoffman Illustration.
Secondary school workshops filmmaking about air quality, with Green Influencers 2023
With Jennie Pedley, students created shadow theatre scenes to add to the animation in the mini theatre kits to create a film about air quality. This material was edited into a film which they shared at a conference in Bury St Edmunds in July 2023.
Jennie worked with Alex Day of the Green Influencers, funded by Students Organise for Sustainability.
Primary School Garden DNA sequencing workshops and shadow theatre with Green Influencers 2023
Jennie Pedley enabled children to sample plants for DNA sequencing supported by the Earlham Institute's Bar Coding the Broads project. This followed on from Tara Sampy's garden explorations and plant printing workshops (see details below).
The students then performed shadow theatre scenes to explore ideas contained in the science activities.
Jennie worked with Alex Day of the Green Influencers, funded by Students Organise for Sustainability.
We are currently planning an exhibition at the Earlham Institute.
Primary School Garden print workshops with Green Influencers
During Spring and Summer 2023, Tara Sampy led Norwich primary school children in explorations of their school garden and printmaking sessions of the plants that they discovered. Working with Green Influencer's Alex Day and funded by Students Organise for Sustainability UK.
Hopes for Health Installation at St Martin at Palace Church ongoing in 2023
Make brass-rubbing style drawings to hang your ‘hopes for health’ onto our ‘microbe alcove’. Explore links between what we eat, our health and the microbes that help us digest our food, through the latest research from the Quadram Institute. Links to their research are on our Food and Health page. Relax and enjoy the atmosphere of the Norwich Historic Church Trust headquarters. (Visit their site for opening information).
This installation was funded by Arts council England in 2019, it grew out of Jennie Pedley's Art of the gut residency at the Quadram Institute. The image panels were made by Chris Jackson.
Trees for Cities workshops in Great Yarmouth with Nik Thomson 2023
During March 2023 in Great Yarmouth, our horticulturalist Nik Thomson led a variety of free workshops about trees. Hosted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council this was a Trees for Cities Project. He was assisted by artist and gardener Tara Sampy and artist Jennie Pedley.
Discover and Reimagine your Community Green Spaces
We have created a new course to empower people to survey a piece of land and reimagine it for the most appropriate uses for the site and the community. This could include food growing,
increasing biodiversity and climate adaptation. The course will be led by
our horticulturalist Nik Thomson with artists Jennie Pedley and Tara Sampy. We have been working on this with Fakenham Rotary Club.
Capturing biodiversity with DNA sequencing and art in schools supported by SOS-UK and the Earlham Institute, Norwich.
Art meets citizen science as artist and gardener Tara Sampy help primary school students capture the genetic sequence of plants in their school gardens. Tara will then show them how to make prints of plants. In their next session they will find out the results of their plant DNA sequencing and they will pose for silhouette portraits with their plants with artist Jennie Pedley.
The Earlham Institute's Barcoding the Broads citizen science project is part of the national Darwin Tree of Life Project to capture a picture of the current biodiversity of UK wildlife .
Environmental art workshops in schools with the charity SOS-UK, Students Organising for Sustainability.
Jennie Pedley has been running animation workshops with eleven year old students at Framlingham Earl Secondary School to help them make films about air pollution. See their drawings here ready to be filmed in Jennie's Mini Shadow Theatre kits
Consultation on Community Green Space, art, food growing and microbes
North Norfolk District Council's Green Build Festival, Sept 2022, Fakenham, Norfolk was cancelled by the council due to the perid of national mourning for the Queen. We planned: food
growing activities, free peas to sprout, 'brass rubbing' style picture making to learn about the role of 'gut' microbes and health supported by a Quadram
Institute scientist.
The dialogue planned with Fakenham Rotary Club at the festival has fed into the new course 'Discover and Re-Imagine Community Green Spaces'.
Sharing seds for salad growing at home with the Phoenix Centre Food Bank
We provided free peas and sunflower seeds and instructions, for sprouting at home and growing salad.
The giveaway was promoting MIND's food growing workshops during the Summer of 2022 at Mile Cross Community Garden.
Heritage Open Days Art Tour of Alcoves in Norwich September 22
Art Tour of Norwich Historic Church Alcoves for Heritage Open Days 2022,. From Hungate Chris Jackson, Jennie Pedley, Sandra Martins and Louise Maclaren led a tour of alcoves. We viewed alcoves containing the remainig work from the Art Science Trail about the Future of Food. Chris shared locations for a future trail that he is developing. Over tea Chris shared his working models. Participants then doodled their own ideas for future art onto alcove templates.
Art for Our Streets May 22-Ongoing
Ongoing exhibit at the headquarters of Norwich Historic Church Trust by Chris Jackson, Jennie Pedley and Rach Anstey-Sanders.
Tour of Art Science Trail with Artists and Scientists May 22
A tour and talk about the Art Science Trail on the Future of Food with Jennie Pedley, Chris Jackson and the Quadram Institute timed to support the Food Stories exhibition from Food Museum at Hungate. May 2022
Attending Bar Coding the Broads workshops Spring 22
At least fifteen Edible East artists and educators attended workshops run by the Earlham Institute at Norwich Reseach Park. We were trained to take PCR samples of plants ready for future collaborations with the public as part of the Darwin Tree of Life project.
100 Days Challenge Free Workshops in Norwich Spring 2022
During Spring 2022 we offered many free creative skill building workshops in Norwich as part of the 100 Days Challenge with Norwich City Council. These incuded affordable food growing for health held at community gardens and at food banks, plant identification, printing with plants, surveying land for community use, eco street art, and DIY skills for sustainable living. We worked together with Garden Organic, Art at Work and Men's Shed Poringland and the Quadram Instutute, we also promoted the community growing work of Norwich Farmshare.
The work was funded by Community Regeneration Funding from central government.
Art for Our Streets - 100 Day Challenge
Creative DIY workshops - 100 Day Challenge
DIY Skills Community Sculpture - 100 Day Challenge
Whats that Plant? Walk and talk by Nik Thomson - 100 Day Challenge
Plant identification talk, how to use plant keys with practical samples. At the Jubilee Centre in Norwich and a walk along the Lakenham Way identifying plants along the route of the disused railway line.
Art for our Streets - 100 Day Challenge
Jennie Pedley and Rach Anstay-Sanders ran the session. Touring part of the Art Science Trail situated in church alcoves the participants used egg box lid alcoves to host models of their ideas. They prepared their own hand made paper pulp for the models made out of waste paper.
Economic Eating for Health. Mile Cross Library community food garden. Jennie Pedley, Nik Thomson, Tara Sampy and scientists from The Quadram Institute (QIB). - 100 Day Challenge
Drop in activities included pricking out brocolli seedlings into peat free compost to take home with Nik Thomson, printing with plants with Tara Sampy and making rubbings of images about gut microbe research with Jennie Pedley and QIB, British Sign Language interpretation by Claire Gebbett. Norwich Farmshare manage the community food garden.
Grow your Own at Silver Rd Food Bank with Nik Thomson and Jennie Pedley - 100 Day Challenge
Drop in activities included pricking out brocolli seedlings into peat free compost to take home and grow on outside, sprouting seeds to grow your own micro greens on a window sill indoors and free peas and sunflower seeds for the salad as well as a variety of free seeds from the Garden Organic Heritage Seed library.
Some people booked the session through the 100 Days Challenge and some dropped in via the food bank.
Everyone went home with information about our free Art Trail , potted up kale seedlings and free seeds if they wanted them.
Capturing the hopes and dreams of young carers and th elderly through shadow theatre and animation for the Norwich Good Ecomony Commission.
Jennie Pedley and teacher Hannah Veale ran shadow theatre and animation workshop with the young carers group hosted
by Norfolk Family Carers, they also worked with older women and food bank users at Silver Road Community Centre.
The events and exhibition enabled people to have their say about how Norwich can be better for them.
October 2021 Anglia Square with British Sign Language
Free chat with horticulturalist Nik Thomson and food quizzes with Hilary Thomson. Animate creatures that live in the soil with Jennie Pedley's Mini Shadow Theatre Kits.
Part of The Big Draw. Supported by The Peoples Postcode Lottery and Anglia Square.
Make New Art while Touring the Art Science Trail with Norwich Science Festival and The Big Draw.
Participants contributed doodles of gut microbes and the food that they love on the blackboard at St Margaret's Church of as part of the Big Draw. Lizzie Meadows works to improve human health, managing a team across QIB, the Hospital the UEA. She has a degree in the history of art and has worked at Modern Art Oxford.
Saturday October 9th 2021 Anglia Square, Norwich NR3 1DZ
British Sign Language
Free creative workshop and chat about the future of food with artist Jennie Pedley & The Nest Project and find about opportunities at Norwich Farmshare.
Supported by The Peoples Postcode Lottery and Anglia Square.
Heritage Open Days 'Edible England' at Norwich Forum with Norfolk Heritage Open Days and the Science Art and Writing (SAW) Trust.
A ten day exhibition with
workshops to create content for the community sculpture inspired by
forest gardens, which was created by Chris Jackson.
Supported by Arts Council England via The Forum and Heritage Open Days
Growing potatoes for Christmas with Science Art and Writing (SAW) Trust and Nik Thomson - Heritage Open Days 2021
The Forum with aupport from Norfolk Food and Farming Trust
A fun session with horticulturalist Nik Thomson exploring where your plant based food comes from and how you can grow your own food wherever you are, you don’t even need a garden.
Make your own microbes out of felt with Rach Anstey-Sanders - Heritage Open Days 2021
Saturday 18th September 2021 The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich
Felt-making activity to explore the amazing variety of bacteria that live in your gut and in the soil helping you to digest your food. Suitable for all ages.
The Future Food Game Stall from Ministry of Imagination and Future Food Chat - Heritage Open Days 2021
The Forum, Norwich
These light-hearted drop-In sessions treat everyone as a ‘Future Food Scientist’ helping to change the world by learning about healthy eating choices and the wider issues around food sustainability.
Using quizzes and games these sessions are for both young and old.
Suitable for all ages.
Discuss the future of food what are your hopes, what are your concerns.
Sculpt the Microscopic World with Hannelore Baxter - Heritage Open Days 2021
Come and explore the habitats that lie beneath our feet deep below ground. Learn about the importance of soil biodiversity in growing food and some of the things that are threatening this important eco system. Meet some of the microscopic creatures, fungi, algae and protozoa that help make soil healthy and fertile and make wire and plaster sculptures inspired by them to add to our Forest Garden artwork in the Forum! Suitable for all ages.
Indian Dance Nature Story Telling workshop with Viji - Heritage Open Days 2021
September 2021 The Forum
Viji Moorthie helped people get moving and use their bodies for story telling using Indian dance gestures.
Sustainable Living Iniative Volunteers and other organisations were part at of our exhibition - Heritage Open Days 2021
September 2021 The Forum
Viji Moorthie brought an exhibit from the Sustainable LIving Iniative who have lots of growing and cooking activities at Marlpit in west Norwich.
Shadow theatre forest gardens with Jennie Pedley - Heritage Open Days 2021
Food growing thats good for nature and for us, the forest food garden with Nik Thomson - Heritage Open Days 2021
Make an anmiation about creatures in the soil with Jennie Pedley's Mini Shadow Theatre kits - Heritage Open Days 2021
Suitable for all ages.
Printed planets with Holly Sandiford - Heritage Open Days 2021
Join artist Holly Sandiford to create your own mini planetscapes. We will use natural materials such as moss and lichen on gelli printing plates (made using Petri dishes as moulds).
Herbs for All with art and science - Heritage Open Days 2021
Suitable for all ages.
Printmaking workshops with louise Maclaren inspired by food and seed packets - Heritage Open Days 2021
September 2021 The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich
Printmaking workshops with louise Maclaren inspired by food and seed packets - Heritage Open Days 2022
Join gardeners from Blickling Estate and sow and grow a broad bean to take home. Find out about our incredible, sustainable, no-dig approach in our walled garden. Explore how you can use cardboard and mulch to grow your own fruit, veg and flowers with no need for digging or weeding, whilst maintaining healthy and happy soils.
Suitable for all ages.
©National Trust Images/Megan Taylor
September 2021 Hungate', St Peter Hungate, Princes St, Norwich,
Come and join artist Ann-Marie LeQuesne’s Procession! Hosted by Edible East and Hungate Medieval Art as part of Heritage Open Days. There will be medieval costumes to wear, and music from Pearl In The Egg.
