Gathering Earthseed

W139 is a presentation and production space for contemporary art. W139 was established in 1979 and provides artists time and space for free explorations in the heart of Amsterdam.

W139

We invite you to a feminist science-fiction gathering at W139, celebrating the legacy of Octavia Butler’s work and literary universe.

“The destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars.” — Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the SowerJuly 20, 2024 marks the beginning of Octavia E. Butler’s trailblazing 1993 feminist science fiction book Parable of the Sower, from the Earthseed trilogy. In light of this meaningful date, artists Müge Yilmaz and Anna Hoetjes, in collaboration with Marly Pierre-Louis and Fiep van Bodegom, are initiating Gathering Earthseed; a full-day gathering at W139 that emerges from the legacy and spirit of Butler’s work and her literary universe.Gathering Earthseed will mark the symbolic moment in time when Parable of the Sower transitions from being set in the future to being set in the present. This communal gathering approaches this moment as both a ritualistic transition and a practical moment in which to gather in conversation and solidarity with one another—envisioning new possibilities of worldbuilding in our own timelines.An interdisciplinary group of visual artists, writers, and cultural practitioners—inspired by Butler’s work in their own practices—have been invited to shape the day’s programme. Through workshops, conversations, readings, rituals, and a communal dinner, we’ll investigate the tools and practices that allow us to conceive new social realities, alternative futures, and communal relations to nature. By exploring feminist, decolonial, speculative worldbuilding, we seek to critique the socio-political structures we live in and write ourselves into the future(s) we want to see; creating pathways out of destruction and establishing life-affirming realities instead. Always anchoring back to Parable of the Sower, this gathering centers feminist, queer, Black diasporic, and decolonial practices.The gathering will be the starting point for the exhibition Taking Root Among the Stars, opening November 2024. This exhibition will feature the work of artists and writers who use feminist science fiction not only as a theme in their work, but also as a tool to foster the exchange of radical speculative strategies. <h2>Programme</h2>13:00 Doors open 13:30 Programme introduction with collective reading (with introduction from Anna Hoetjes, Müge Yilmaz, and Margarita Osipian) 14:30 Panel discussion with Sondi, Aafke Romeijn, and Pirilti Onukar (curated and moderated by Fiep van Bodegom) 16:30 Workshops by James Parnell, Camille Sapara Barton, Fazle Shairmahomed and Chimira Obiefule (curated by Marly Pierre-Louis) 19:00 Ritual 19:30 Collective dinner and conversations 21:30 Closing of programme <h2>Panel Gathering Earthseed</h2>Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower starts on July 20, 2024, in a world where society has fully broken down and is ravaged by ecological disaster on a planetary scale. In her novel Butler depicts a frightening recognizable world for contemporary readers. Lauren Olamina, the main character in Parable of the Sower, uses her knowledge of human nature and the environment for survival. She brings to life a community around her own religion, written down in verses in “Earthseed: Book of the Living”. Lauren Olamina plants the seed for a movement that will enable humanity to survive and even thrive by taking root amongst the stars.During this collective conversation with writers and artists we will explore how Butler can inspire us to envision a future and build communities now. How does Butler’s work and world building translate into other disciplines? <h2>Workshop programme: Seeds of Survival: Practices of Radical Imagination</h2>This session, curated by Marly Pierre-Louis, takes Lauren Olamina’s survival strategies of interdependence and speculation as key to collective survival. Marly will hold this collaborative space under the light of Butler’s legacy—centering radical imagination as methodology for Black liberation, knowing that we must practice today for the tomorrow we want to see. Marly has invited James Parnell, Camille Sapara Barton, Fazle Shairmahomed and Chimira Obiefule to facilitate parallel workshops during this session, that collectively engage with these strategies for survival through grief tending, personal values and a reconfiguration of labour. Tickets:€15 for full day program including dinner€7,50 student rate *We also offer <a href="https://w139.nl/en/contact-visit/" title="https://w139.nl/en/contact-visit/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">community tickets </a>for visitors who do not have the financial means to visit W139’s exhibitions or context programming. If you want to join Gathering Earthseed but do not have the means, please contact us at <a href="mailto:info@w139.nl" title="mailto:info@w139.nl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">info@w139.nl</a>.*The ticket gives you access to the full day of activities. If you are unable to join for the entire programme, feel free to only attend the parts where you are available.

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Gathering Earthseed

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