Artist Talk: William Bock - The Green Rope

William brings his Green Rope project to Jersey which uses the act of Sugán rope making (an Irish straw rope) to bring people, nature and conversation together across cultural and social barriers. The rope is twisted by many hands from wild plants harvested locally. The project considers Jersey’s position at the intersection of invisible tracks stretching far out beyond its shores, connecting plants, animals and humans from around the globe. The Green Rope offers itself as a social sculpture and tangible process, extending through space as the public conversation and connections between culturally diverse communities emerge.

William Bock is a multi-disciplinary artist based in south west Ireland. Drawing from folk traditions and vernacular history on the land, the artist creates socially engaged projects rooted in place that engage with experiences of migration, ecology, colonial history, climate change and identity.

William Bock will share his innovative social arts practice guided by the concept of ‘Meitheal’  an Irish word for a reciprocal working group. His practice situates the human as a collaborative, social being, interwoven with and reliant on nature. His projects explore our common land as a place of intercultural connections and a radical resistance to the mono-cultural.