Capturing Cambridge
  • search
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram

Workshop: The Council of All Beings

Guest event: the work that reconnects

Throughout The Trials of Democracy project, participants raised the importance of nature being included in a thriving democracy many times: ‘what about the rights of the river?’, ‘how does the voice of nature get heard’?

In response, it was our absolute pleasure to invite Anna McIvor to run this creative workshop – The Council of All Beings – as a guest event at the If You’re Not At The Table You’re On The Menu weekend event.

“We meet in council because our planet is in trouble; our lives and our ancient ways are endangered. It is fitting that we confer, for there is much now that needs to be said and much that needs to be heard.”

Mike Scaliom – Cambridge Independent

The Council of All Beings workshop was led by Anna McIvor, Chair of Transition Cambridge  and a director of The Resilience Web, which invited participants to make and wear the mask of a non-human being: a tree, a field, a flower, a river, a worm, a bird etc. Each being addressed the assembly wearing their mask, detailing the effect of human activity on their life and existence. They then offered humans their strengths and qualities (e.g. the wisdom of a longer perspective, the capacity to flow), to support us in our efforts to restore the planet.

‘I attended the work that reconnects – an hour and a half to become a tree and connect with the water and other animals around me. Thanks to all the creatures and to Anna for bringing us together to speak and listen to each other‘

the work that reconnects

The Council of All Beings

 

Facilitator Anna McIvor

If you would like to hear more about Transition Cambridge and Anna’s thoughts about Democracy and hopes for the future, she was also featured on our Trials of Democracy Podcast series.

Find out more about The Trials of Democracy
More about public involvement
More of the Exhibition 
More about the Performance
Listen to the Democracy Podcasts

This project has been supported by S-106 grant funding from Cambridge City Council

Share this article

Share on Bluesky

Contribute

Do you have any information about the people or places in this article? If so, then please let us know using the Contact page or by emailing capturingcambridge@museumofcambridge.org.uk.

Licence

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dear Visitor,

Thank you for exploring historical Cambridgeshire! We hope you enjoy your visit and, if you do,  would consider making a donation today.

Capturing Cambridge makes accessible thousands of photos and memories of Cambridge and its surrounding villages and towns. It is run by the Museum of Cambridge which, though 90 years old, is one of the most poorly publicly funded local history museums in the UK. It receives no core funding from local or central government nor from the University of Cambridge.

As a result, we are facing a crisis; we have no financial cushion – unlike many other museums in Cambridge – and are facing the need to drastically cut back our operations which could affect our ability to continue to run and develop this groundbreaking local history website.

If Capturing Cambridge matters to you, then the survival of the Museum of the Cambridge should matter as well. If you won’t support the preservation of your heritage, no-one else will! Your support is critical.

If you love Capturing Cambridge, and you are able to, we’d appreciate your support.

Every donation makes a world of difference.

Thank you,
Roger Lilley, Chair of Trustees
Museum of Cambridge