Offsite9: Imagine Wolves: Leanne O’Connor and Ewan Johnston

Imagine Wolves is a collaboration between artists Leanne O’Connor and Ewan Johnston born out of discussions and research in to re-imagined futures and ways of togetherness for Wolverhampton and its people. 

Tell us about your collaboration.
This collaboration came about through a series of conversations centred around belonging in Wolverhampton, the current climate of existing and how we can harness collective reimagining to consider the future of the area. We have a conversation-led process of making and building together. These conversations have so far shaped a co-produced window display utilising empty shop units, which will garner the hopes and dreams of Wolves residents to engage them in what their wants and needs are for the city are. 

The physical outcome will be a window display that engages with and encourages people to question and imagine a future Wolverhampton. This window display will contain a series of questions and visual representations, both sculptural and image-based, of change and imagined futures. People's responses will then be incorporated into the window display.

How is the context of the future shaping the work you are making?
Everything in Wolves is being prepped for some imagined future, from the new developments, to the delayed developments, to the whispers of things anew. Within the connected context of Offsite9, we want to activate the radical potential of a collective re-imagining of Wolverhampton. Our project seeks to engage with current anxieties about future contexts and gathering opinions about what the future hopes to be, rather than being overwhelmed by the future contexts of despair, climate collapse, unbridled capitalism etc. 

How will you work with communities?
The whole project is centered around engaging and gathering opinions and dreams from the public in Wolverhampton. We also hope to be outside the work encouraging engagement, based on the high street. We are sensitive to engaging with people who cannot physically visit the work, so will create an online presence to engage more communities. We want the work to be shaped with and for local communities.

Imagine Wolves
1st Feb - 10th April
Shop unit,  Victoria Square TBC 
For more information about the project see creativeblackcountry.co.uk/offsite9