Common Fields

The title of this project takes its name from arable land used for crop growing, as well as research into brownfield or ex-industrial sites around Manchester, and how they can be re-purposed for community use. A common is also defined as a piece of open land for public use, or a similarity shared by several groups, people or things. The similarity in this case, is a need (a right) to open green space, engagement with nature, and to fix the broken systems that determine how we source, consume and value food. Common Fields is an ongoing design and research project investigating the act of commensality, how this has changed throughout history — especially more recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic — and how visual and participatory arts can help us reconnect with our food and one another, and repair our relationship with nature and our local environments. Designing a sustainable future for commensality. 92 pages, risograph and digital printed and spiral bound, with a foil embossed greyboard cover. Edition of 20.