Bio: Jayde Adams
Award-winning comedian and proud Bristolian Jayde Adams has been described by Dawn French as “the third funniest woman in the world. Fact”.

Jayde’s debut Edinburgh Fringe show Jayde 31 was nominated for Best Newcomer in 2016, whilst her 2019 run The Ballad of Kylie Jenner’s Old Face received 5-star reviews and was later released worldwide on Amazon Prime as Serious Black Jumper.

A regular on screen, Jayde is the host of Channel 4’s high-concept food show Crazy Delicious, and the co-host of the channel’s culinary entertainment series Snackmasters. Her additional guest appearances include 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Richard Osman’s House of Games, Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, and Live at the Comedy Store among much more. As an actor, Jayde has also taken on roles in BBC2’s Alma’s Not Normal, and Good Omens on Amazon Prime.

Bio: Kopano Maroga
Kopano Maroga (they/them) is a performance artist, writer, cultural worker and co-founding director of the arts organization ANY BODY ZINE. They are currently living in Brussels, Belgium and working as a curator and guest-dramaturge at Kunstencentrum Vooruit in Ghent, Belgium. Their debut anthology of poetry, Jesus Thesis and Other Critical Fabulations, was released through uHlanga press in December of 2020. They very much believe in the power of love as a weapon of mass construction.

IG: @kopano.maroga
Twitter: @KopanoMaroga
Facebook: Kopano Maroga

Bio: Distanced Assemblage
Distanced Assemblage is a collaborative, artist-led initiative based in Glasgow, Scotland. Our goal is to make a positive impact in the wellbeing and visibility of people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds by providing opportunities to engage in art making.
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We believe that communities who collectively engage in creative thinking are more resilient and better equipped to tackle political and social adversities. Therefore, we aim to help people and communities connect through collaborative art projects in order to promote a sense of belonging and inspire positive changes in their lives and environment.
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Distanced Assemblage is a collaboration between independent artists Paria Goodarzi and Francisco Llinas Casas. The initiative is a response to notions of migration, displacement, cultural representation, and the value of art amid the difficult situation generated by the Covid -19 pandemic.
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Our program of events is constantly being updated. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our mailing list and visiting our social media accounts.

www.distancedassemblage.com

Bio: Paria Goodarzi
Paria Goodarzi,  born and grew up in Tehran, lives and work in Glasgow, her work revolves around cultural and political transfers and translocations, the ideas of the contemporary human condition, cultural identity and political issues that resulted in an ambivalent coexistence of civilised life, conflict and displacement.

As part of her practice, Paria Goodarzi has engaged in collaborative project focused on community and social engagement art influenced by her own personal cultural  and political journey responding to the social and political conflict, nation of home, belonging and displacement . her community engagement art practice provide the platform to engage the communities together through  workshop facilitation and creative making to help preservation of  mental health since 2012.

www.pariagoodarzi.com

BIO: Francisco Llinas Casas
UK-based Venezuelan artist. As part his body of work, Francisco has engaged in collaborative, socially engaged art projects, such as the creation of community-oriented exhibitions, gallery spaces, workshop facilitation and other cultural activities.

His work deals with notions of displacement, cultural identity, the social contrast between Europe and Latin America, and his own migratory reality amid the Bolivarian Diaspora. His pieces take often the form of immersing installations that feature sound, video and smell; as well as sculptural arrangements, photos, films and prints.

www.franciscollinas.com

Bio: Icecream Architecture
In 2009, Icecream Architecture set out in an icecream van to meet and understand communities.

Ever since then, we’ve adapted our design and digital skills to fit the needs of cities, towns, villages and citizens across the UK and Ireland.

We work with communities and the public sector to make places better.

Our multi-disciplinary team can create reactive solutions that boost regeneration, enterprise, community involvement and collaboration, communication, youth engagement, active travel, funding potential and digital participation; each with the core aim to motivate and mobilise civic pride.

Methods and processes have developed through the rapport we build with communities and public services. We’ve a substantial track record for integrating these groups throughout the delivery process and producing carefully considered proposals, strategies, digital tools and artworks.

The group operates through a combined passion to explore how sharing and applying these skills can put people at the heart of decision making and creativity within their communities.

Bio: Neil Fergusson
Neil Fergusson is part of the team at icecream architecture, a multi-disciplinary studio usually based in Glasgow but currently in our respective homes. icecream architecture work on a wide variety of projects across Scotland and Ireland, and we often say that our approach to our practice (and architecture) involves ‘everything but the walls’. The common feature that does feature in every part of our work is that local communities are at the heart of the activity. As part of the icecream team, most of Neil’s experience has been based around co-design activities with local communities.

Bio: Thomas Wells
Thomas Wells is an artist based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Their practice is socially engaged, inspired by the telling of tales. Thomas graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 2009 and later King’s College London after gaining a masters in arts education. Since moving to Northern Ireland they have been a member of Array studios.

Thomas is particularly interested in collective practice and exploring methodologies of collaboration. They recently performed alongside 24 artists over a 24 hours period as part of Performance Art Bergen as well as completing a two year directorship at Catalyst Arts. They are a regular contributor to Household and a member of the Array Collective who in 2019 presented work alongside new UK based collectives at Jerwood Arts, and most recently have been nominated for the Turner Prize 2021.

thomaswells.me
arraystudiosbelfast.com