Rema Grace Gifford

CREATIVE PORTFOLIO // Best enjoyed on desktop

I'm Rema Grace (pronounced Remma) a Cumbrian-Filipino multi-disciplinary artist, eco-critical thinker, participatory & community arts practitioner, lifelong carer, ally of all things queer, champion of (bio)diversity, myco-performer//singer, and Creative Director & Lead Artist of "Eco-Arts, Events, and Radical Imagination" not-for-profit startup Mycelium Thinking CIC. I’m currently funded by Art Council DYCP researching and deepening the connection between mycology and my art forms.

Certifications

Creative Media Production (Art & design / film-making / music production) - Level 3 Extended Diploma, DDM (Furness College, 2014)

Full-time BA, Combined Honours: Media, culture & communications, film, & philosophy + year abroad art theory & practice - 2:1 (Newcastle University, 2018)

Part-time MA Creative Writing (2021, modular) - Lancaster University - Distinctions across board

Final MA portfolio - writing eco-psychology in fiction + representation of inequity & climate justice in text - Distinction

Cumbria University part-time (80 credits, PgC), outdoor & experiential learning, health & wellbeing (2022) - Distinction

Creative and therapeutic approaches to outdoor learning with teens (Graded 78), creative portfolio exploring writing as nomadic & therapeutic environmental inquiry (78)

Further CPD: Mycology Level 3 Online Diploma (2023) - Distinction

British Mycological Society Associate Member (2023)

Climate Change and Environmental Awareness (Level 2 Diploma)

Nature Connectedness Diploma, Derby University

Carbon Literacy Certification

Mental Health First Aid Trained & Outdoor First Aid, Safeguarding young people, Safeguarding

vulnerable adults, Enhanced DBS.

My niche overall artistic interest is 'mycelium as muse'.

'MYCELIAL' KEYWORDS: CONNECTEDNESS, RECIPROCITY, CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY, DIVERGENT THINKING, MUSHROOMS, INTERDISCIPLINARY, RHIZOMES, NETWORKS, THE UNDERGROUND, MARGINAL KNOWLEDGES, MYCOLOGY, RADICAL ECOLOGIES, ENTANGLED LIFE.

I take inspiration from the "Wood Wide Web(s)" as a guide to enhance connections - both inside and out. A more sustainable, and truly flourishing future, needs strong localised networks and diverse communities working together in harmony. I want to empower and inspire people of all abilities to participate in the transition towards a 0 emission future, and make sure this is done in a way that is fun, empowering, and inclusive of all.”

Mistress OF THE MYCELIAL ARTS

"We Are All Fruiting Bodies of This Earth"

Mixed-media & poetic commission for Wordsworth Trust.

Guest Artist for Lottery and Arts Council funded "Saturation Point" (SAP) project (Oct 2022). Led an afternoon of mushroom ID, myco-poetry, performance, and outdoor wellbeing.

'Guided Visualization Journey of Mycelial Entanglement' in collaboration with Monster Monster DJ combining together songwriting, music, poetry & surreal meditation.

Art-making to find gaps in dominant narratives, particularly drawing attention to mycology as a marginal science, queer ecologies, and minority perspectives.

'Writing as a Method of Nomadic Inquiry''...writing is thinking, writing is analysis, writing is indeed a seductive and tangled method of discovery. Many writers in the humanities have known this all along...' Richardson

Publication highlights:

Recently awarded ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Art Council funding to research mycology and environmental science in connection with my artforms. Friday Flash Fiction contributor, Sonder zine, Another Strange World anthology, Hot Poets Climate Poetry, designed & published my first pamphlet indie zine 'Maybe We Should All Die Once,' Dec 2021.

"Rema's understanding of the needs of the community and also the planet has led her to initiate and coordinate a way forward for our town. Working with organisations she is moving forward with ideas for families to heat their homes and care for the planet."

Jackie Drake, Ulverston Town Council Representative

REVIEWS of community activities

I'm also long-term carer and have worked creatively with charities, and within my community, for the majority of my adult life. Equity, diversity, and connectedness are core drivers in my practice.

This lens always filters into my writing, community activities, and affects ethical choices in regards to which organisations and funders I choose to work with. I always consider impact on both the health of people and the planet. Sustainability, accessibility, and wellbeing are key to my community sessions.

"Art as activism" encouraging others, through artistic creation & community activities, to imagine and co-create a more “flourishing future”, a world dominated by connectedness, reciprocity, and community resilience.

Mind service users worked with myself to co-create a community "Feel Good Friday" event, April 2019. Over £200 was raised to fund further activities for their drop-ins.

Creative wellbeing sessions and participatory arts with Ulverston Mind since 2018 - present (now Mind in Furness).

"Rema assisted Art Gene on our low carbon ecoventure sessions, Summer of 22. She gave a very interesting talk led a group of students on a foraging session, helped with our bushcraft and fire-making sessions, and provided lots of interesting extra facts and information on our wormery session. She was a great help with the art-focused sessions that we used to integrate the learning. Thank you Rema."

Art Gene, Low Carbon Engagement Lead.

“Thank you for coming to Allotment Soup and introducing us to the wonderful world of fungi! We loved learning about the mushrooms beneath our feet, and how important these organisms are for us and the planet, and your enthusiasm for mushrooms was so exciting and encouraging. Thanks!”

Art Gene, Food Futures & Biodiversity

"We worked with Rema as our artist in residence as part of our Big Nature Takeover event aimed at families. The main focus being engaging our family audience with our natural science collection with a focus on the highlighting the lesser known/enjoyed elements. Rema helped us achieve this through a range of activity including a collective artwork and soundscape which really brought the topics to life. Rema was excellent at adapting her delivery style to suit the children and young people who joined in. Her sessions were also the popular with our older children/young people which is an audience we struggle to engage with in this context. The soundscape workshops on earth day were popular and our families enjoyed trying something new and it was great to see children excited to tell people what they had created. The workshop was fun, unconventional, energetic, and it allowed children to learn about the museum's Natural Science collection in a new, multi-sensory and animated way. After the beats were created, the children were invited to create their own animal noises and there were many volunteers! Rema had the children howling like wolves and sniffling like hedgehogs! After all of the children had contributed a noise, the track was revealed to the audience, and the children smiled and reacted to hearing their noises being projected back to them. The overall experience was extremely fun, and Rema made everyone taking part feel comfortable and valued.

Tullie House Museum, Carlisle

"The Wordsworth Trust worked with Rema Grace Gifford on a creative commission in February/March 2023. Rema was one of 100+ people to apply, and we were impressed by the originality, depth and breadth of ideas that she included in her application. Over the course of the commission period, Rema maintained regular communication with us, providing updates on the work and inviting feedback. She worked within the brief, producing an artwork and accompanying poem within the timeframe and budget. Rema’s artwork and poem engage deeply with the brief and brings a new perspective to the ideas. It is clear that throughout the process Rema took great care to produce two pieces of high quality that spoke to one another. Rema communicated effectively presenting well-formed, original ideas and updates whilst also being open to suggestions from us as to how to help our museum’s visitors to engage with and respond to the work."

Mycelium Thinking led a drop-in music as part of Full of Noises' Sound Rangers programme on Weds 16th August. I thought that using different mycelium and other objects to control samples, synths and other sources was a very playful and tactile way for participants to explore sound making together, within a wider context of environmental listening (which is one of Fon's ongoing areas of interest).The session proved to be imaginative and engaging for adults and young people alike, with Rema and Dave creating a good balance of listening, discussion and hands-on sound/music making. Feedback from the participants was also excellent and we would be keen to develop more sessions/work with you along these lines.

gallery

Freelance work with Art Gene supporting creative environmental sessions and events since 2021.

"Rema assisted Art Gene on our low carbon ecoventure sessions, summer of 22. She gave a very interesting talk led a group of students on a foraging session, helped with our bushcraft and fire-making sessions, and provided lots of interesting extra facts and information on our wormery session. She was a great help with the art-focused sessions that we used to integrate the learning. Thank you Rema." - Art Gene, Low Carbon Engagement Lead.

‘Playing’ fungi using biodata sonification and our loop station at FON Sound Rangers workshop.

Outdoor creative wellbeing day retreat in collaboration with Furness Outdoor Learning.

Zine-making at Cumbria Eco-Circle environmental wellbeing group. Using foraged and surplus materials.

Lead programmer of CAP26 a full weekend retreat in collaboration with Ulverston Food Waste Project, & 6 other nature-inspired practitioners and artists.

multi-arts community highlights

Video of 'Flourishing Futures' on the Another Fine Fest mainstage. I open with my 'mycelial cascades' spoken word piece before using my fungal song-throat-language to invite 'the network' to join me on the stage.

Designed bespoke wildflower seed packets with sales to raise money for AFF & Mycelium Thinking edible community tree and fungi fund.

Tree season 2023: 20+ Free Native Damson trees now distributed for Ford Park Charity, Mind in Furness, local community orchards and public walkways.

Performance screened at conference "Stories4Policy: Speculative futures for engaging with risk and uncertainty."

Dr Emily Spiers, lead of Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster University, enjoying our performance.

Planting 'n' Dancing with Ford Park funded by CAfS, Ulverston Town Council & Climate Coalition.

Sign ready for 2023 first flourish of community "lofty meadow".

Mushroom production line for upcycled Fine Fest banner.

Community Annual General Mushrummage to brainstorm for 2023.

Supported Homes For Ulverston Community Land Trust with a sustainable art-making workshop for music video props.

Mass participation artwork highlighting overlooked creatures in the Tullie Collection.

Final Wild Escape Participatory Artwork was paired with Wild Escape collaborative Soundscape & performance.

"Art as Activism" Highlights :

Participatory Art Lead and co-manager of Another Fine Fest ‘Another Fine Future’ community-powered parade and final performance involving 6+ artists, 8+ workshops, and over 100 community members (March-June 2023).

Awarded a place & scholarship to join a cohort of only 26 'emerging leaders' on the internationally renowned (800,000+ Facebook followers) Emergence Magazine/Spiritual Ecology “Seeds of Radical Renewal: 10-part Leadership Programme”.

‘Community Coordinator’ (engagement and events) for the largest climate charity in my region CAfS (Cumbria Action for Sustainability) “Solar Made Easy” scheme rollout (Jan-July 2023).

Easter holidays "Artist in Residence" role at Tullie House Museum for "Wild Escape" Art Fund project.

Mush-love to you

my-celial kin,

go onwards & sporulate...

Rema Grace

"Nomadic enquiry suggests a letting go of our old ways of thinking and becoming open to new ideas and modes of being. It is not resistance, but an understanding that we are always in the ‘process of becoming" (Braidotti, 2012)