In preparing the content materials for the aggregation to Europeana, partner TopFoto referenced its inaugural writer-in-residence, Rommi Smith and her residency-collaboration with musician and composer, Christella Litras. This residency, TopFoto’s expertise and its collaboration with artist-researcher, Rommi Smith, has led to the planning of a WEAVE LabDay that is geared towards artists, researchers, archivists, CHIs and other key stakeholders that engage with photographic content. This LabDay also features contributions including from John Balean, Operations Manager at TopFoto.

This exclusive, critical-creative, practice-based event takes place before a brand-new exhibition, curated by Smith, of residency-related photographs at the North Wall Gallery, Oxford, 10-29 January 2022.

The TopFoto Poetry and Photography LabDay will comprise two parts:

Part 1: A critical-creative talk led by Rommi Smith. This LabDay will incorporate moments of practice-related insights from artists Rommi Smith and Christella Litras. Litras, a musician within the residency, will be playing her keyboard. This first section will also incorporate: the remote performance of extracts of creative work from the TopFoto residency; a three-way, interdisciplinary conversation between Smith, Litras and WEAVE convenor, Rosa Cisneros – concluding with a Q&A where audience questions are welcomed.

Part 2: A generative workshop utilising a selection of photos from the TopFoto archive as a starting point for short poems, monologues and short stories. Participants will discover and utilise some of the methods Smith utilises in her own creative process as the inaugural writer-in-residence for TopFoto. Litras will support the workshop, performing improvised music which will inspire the flow of words and narratives.  The workshop space is open to everyone, regardless of prior creative writing experience.

More info and registration: https://weave-culture.eu/2021/10/19/poetry-photography/