Material, Economics & Ecology

Convened by Sharples, Material, Economics & Ecology was an international symposium sharing the interdisciplinary practice-research of guest speakers whose work contributes to contemporary dialogues around labour, trade, and extractive economies. As a site of material, economic and ecological significance, Derby's former Silk Mill was chosen as a significant place to hold the event: a former factory which sits are the southern end of the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

The programme opened with a screening of Wild Relatives (2018), an award-winning documentary film by Jumana Manna, and Deepening (2020), a site-specific performance-for-video by Laura Wilson, both presented in the Italian Mill. Tony Butler, Executive Director of Derby Museums, delivered a welcome address that grounded the event in the civic context of the Museum’s work. The symposium continued with presentations by guest speakers Dr. Onya McCausland, Rafael Pérez Evans, Laura Wilson, Sonia Levy, and Ravi Agarwal. Their contributions spanned subjects of waste, agricultural protest, historic landscapes, labour conditions, and non-human ecologies.

A closing Q&A, chaired by Sharples, provided a space for collective reflection, knowledge exchange, and engagement between speakers and the audience. The format allowed participants to unpack concepts introduced throughout the day, and situate the discussions within wider contexts. The event was convened by Sharples as a continuation of their practice-research and to allow for national and international knowledge exchange within the Derby region. By embedding ecological, material, and economic concerns into a civic context, the symposium advanced public discourse on sustainability.

Material, Economics & Ecology was supported by the University of Derby’s Early Career Researcher Development Fund.

Filmed by: Zack Harrison & Lewis Allsopp.
Photography: David Lindsay.