Mary Adams

Embodied Intelligence & Paradigm Change: In Conversation with Kirstie Simson

Dance Improvisation – Exploring the Unlimited Potential of the Body 3rd Space: Welcome, Kirstie. Your Improvisation work has always expanded the boundaries of contemporary dance. Could you start by telling us about the origins of your journey? Kirstie: I always had a strong co-ordinated body and was good at sport. But I quickly realised that sports were all about winning.

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Metamodernism’s Noisy Cousin & the Art of Subverting Normalcy

The Illusion of Normalcy Soup on the Sunflowers, milk on the floor of Harrods, orange paint on the storefront of an exclusive Aston Martin showroom. Acts of anarchy, transgressive iconoclasm, irreverent rebellion, or something deeper? Rather than sensational acts of petty vandalism are these instead conscious acts, carefully thought through and aimed at disrupting the ‘normal’ ? Van Gogh’s masterpiece

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The Reluctant Activist: Exploring the Inner/Outer Divide

In May 2021 contemporary thinker and writer Jonathan Rowson wrote, “To be metamodern is to be caught up in the co-arising of hope and despair, credulity and incredulity, progress and peril, agency and apathy, life and death.” Rowson might have replaced the phrase “to be metamodern” with simply “to be alive in the 21st century”. He goes on to describe that as the

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The Ukraine War: Challenging a Binary Lens

“As a person who believes in democracy, it’s disappointing to read from your comments that you are ideologically opposed to western values“.  My heart sank a little as I read this somewhat definitive conclusion about my cultural values, posted by a friend on Facebook. She was responding to an observation I had made in reference to the triumphalist tone and

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Ceiba – The Future of Carbonless Shipping

3rd Space: Welcome, Dani. It’s good to see you again. From our brief tour, it’s clear a lot of development has occurred with Ceiba over the past two years, especially given Covid.  Ceiba: Yes. When Covid hit us, it was of course very scary. We are such an employee-based company. We have a lot of people here at the shipyard working

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Racial Justice, Climate Activism, Self-Repair: building a new paradigm with Esther Stanford-Xosei

Planet Repair – Pre-Figuring a New World 3rd Space: Welcome to 3rd Space, Esther. I am going to dive straight in. (Smiles) Given the current systemic and existential crisis we’re facing globally through climate change and ecological breakdown, could you tell us about your work and how it relates to this crisis? Esther: That is a big question. But it’s an excellent

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Why Climate Change is a Social Justice Issue

Another COP is over. Despite the rhetoric to keep global warming to 1.5˚C, national pledges to address the climate crisis put us instead on track for an alarming global warming of about 2.4°C. Each year of delay in reducing global emissions means the task gets more challenging, and more costly for all of us. As the doors closed on COP26

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What is Insulate Britain? The call for radical nonviolent civil disobedience

A Letter to my friends Dearest friends, We have shared many significant moments in our lives. Because of this, I wanted to share now with you another moment, particularly because the media portrayal here in the UK is very skewed, and the tendency for division or wrong ideas based on misinformation, is always there. Like all of you, I am

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Rethinking Conservation – A Holistic Approach in Botswana

3rd Space: Welcome Tempe. You’ve been working in Africa for almost nine years as a conservation scientist, a critical area for the survival of our global ecosystem; but it’s also controversial in various ways. From what you describe, it’s been a learning journey in terms of developing a deeper understanding and sensitivity to the context surrounding conservation; especially as a non-African

Read More

Embodied Intelligence & Paradigm Change: In Conversation with Kirstie Simson

Dance Improvisation – Exploring the Unlimited Potential of the Body 3rd Space: Welcome, Kirstie. Your Improvisation work has always expanded the boundaries of contemporary dance. Could you start by telling us about the origins of your journey? Kirstie: I always had a strong co-ordinated body and was good at sport. But I quickly realised that sports were all about winning.

Read More

Metamodernism’s Noisy Cousin & the Art of Subverting Normalcy

The Illusion of Normalcy Soup on the Sunflowers, milk on the floor of Harrods, orange paint on the storefront of an exclusive Aston Martin showroom. Acts of anarchy, transgressive iconoclasm, irreverent rebellion, or something deeper? Rather than sensational acts of petty vandalism are these instead conscious acts, carefully thought through and aimed at disrupting the ‘normal’ ? Van Gogh’s masterpiece

Read More

The Reluctant Activist: Exploring the Inner/Outer Divide

In May 2021 contemporary thinker and writer Jonathan Rowson wrote, “To be metamodern is to be caught up in the co-arising of hope and despair, credulity and incredulity, progress and peril, agency and apathy, life and death.” Rowson might have replaced the phrase “to be metamodern” with simply “to be alive in the 21st century”. He goes on to describe that as the

Read More

The Ukraine War: Challenging a Binary Lens

“As a person who believes in democracy, it’s disappointing to read from your comments that you are ideologically opposed to western values“.  My heart sank a little as I read this somewhat definitive conclusion about my cultural values, posted by a friend on Facebook. She was responding to an observation I had made in reference to the triumphalist tone and

Read More

Ceiba – The Future of Carbonless Shipping

3rd Space: Welcome, Dani. It’s good to see you again. From our brief tour, it’s clear a lot of development has occurred with Ceiba over the past two years, especially given Covid.  Ceiba: Yes. When Covid hit us, it was of course very scary. We are such an employee-based company. We have a lot of people here at the shipyard working

Read More

Racial Justice, Climate Activism, Self-Repair: building a new paradigm with Esther Stanford-Xosei

Planet Repair – Pre-Figuring a New World 3rd Space: Welcome to 3rd Space, Esther. I am going to dive straight in. (Smiles) Given the current systemic and existential crisis we’re facing globally through climate change and ecological breakdown, could you tell us about your work and how it relates to this crisis? Esther: That is a big question. But it’s an excellent

Read More

Why Climate Change is a Social Justice Issue

Another COP is over. Despite the rhetoric to keep global warming to 1.5˚C, national pledges to address the climate crisis put us instead on track for an alarming global warming of about 2.4°C. Each year of delay in reducing global emissions means the task gets more challenging, and more costly for all of us. As the doors closed on COP26

Read More

What is Insulate Britain? The call for radical nonviolent civil disobedience

A Letter to my friends Dearest friends, We have shared many significant moments in our lives. Because of this, I wanted to share now with you another moment, particularly because the media portrayal here in the UK is very skewed, and the tendency for division or wrong ideas based on misinformation, is always there. Like all of you, I am

Read More

Rethinking Conservation – A Holistic Approach in Botswana

3rd Space: Welcome Tempe. You’ve been working in Africa for almost nine years as a conservation scientist, a critical area for the survival of our global ecosystem; but it’s also controversial in various ways. From what you describe, it’s been a learning journey in terms of developing a deeper understanding and sensitivity to the context surrounding conservation; especially as a non-African

Read More