It was so important to find ways to stay in touch with people, some of whom were very isolated in their homes. This gave them a window on the world and us a window into their lives.
Generation Rebellion
Exploring climate emergency activism through an intergenerational women’s project
Rebelling in quiet and noisy ways
In early 2020, Magic Me launched Generation Rebellion, a pioneering project bringing together students from Mulberry School for Girls and older adult women to explore the climate emergency. Led by artists Sue Mayo and Elsa James, the group used collage, writing, and voice to find out how to be a rebel, in quiet and noisy ways.
Inventing ways to keep the generations together remotely
Just as we were launching Generation Rebellion, Covid hit, and we needed to find ways to keep the project going, even though participants couldn’t meet in person. Artists created postal activity packs and phone workshops to keep the climate emergency topic at the forefront of people’s minds, and all the artworks which emerged were gathered in a digital ‘zine.
I will take the water in my beak to extinguish the fire in the jungle; I will take the water in my beak to sprinkle the desert to make it green… (from a poem written during a creative writing session delivered by phone)
Taking intergenerational eco activism to the United Nations
Using the arts to think about political issues which affect participants, and sharing artworks as a form of activism is an important facet of Magic Me's work. As lockdown eased, and Generation Rebellion participants could start to meet in person again, the final phase of the project unrolled. One group of participants took their project findings to a meeting with then MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington, Diane Abbott. Another group hosted a project film screening and a virtual Q&A bringing the voices of East London to COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Support our work
Generation Rebellion demonstrated that intergenerational art is a powerful vehicle for civic engagement. Developed through partnership working and Trusts & Foundation funding, it proves that local creativity can drive global conversation. Learn more about how to support our work below.