Voices of Water: a Rights of Nature workshop at Tate Modern

September 6, 2025

Workshop organised by Love Our Ouse, TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary & Academy and Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational in partnership with Hyundai Motor. Photo © Tate (Oliver Cowling)

Academy Events

TBA21–Academy

Programming

‘Across the Rights of Nature movement, which is an evolving framework, legal custodians play a vital role in fostering care and respect for nature, taking action on behalf of nature, and ensuring a duty to protect across generations. Yet, how does one represent, respond with care and carry out duties – how can we become custodians of the ocean?’ Excerpt from Rights of the Deep, Emma Critchley and collaborators

This event brings together artists, community initiatives and custodians engaged in the growing movements for the Rights of Nature globally. Rights of Nature advocates call for the legal recognition of ecosystems, allowing entities such as animals, bodies of water or mountains to obtain their own personhood. The roundtable will connect with transnational conversations on the rights of rivers and oceans as well as reflect on how to rebuild celebratory connections and kinship with land and waterways. Together we will explore how to meaningfully include and represent the voices of bodies of water – from small streams to the global Ocean – in human assemblies.

This event includes Carolina Caycedo, Emma Critchley, Love our Ouse and Erena Rhöse, who will share glimpses into their collaborations with diverse bodies of water, from the Yuma River in Colombia, to the Ouse in Sussex, the Whanganui River in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the Deep Sea.

This event is organised by TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary & Academy and Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational in partnership with Hyundai Motor. It follows on from the workshop Voices of the River: Weaving Connections with the Ouse with Love our Ouse in May 2025.

DATE & TIME

Saturday, September 6, 2025, 14:30

LOCATION

Tate Modern

East Room

Bankside
London SE1 9TG

FREE ADMISSION

Free admission with mandatory registration here.