Jo Ball is an artist & gardener based in Bristol, UK.

Through drawing, installation and participatory projects she makes work that considers aspects of place, nature and how humans connect to their environment. A deep curiosity for making and materials is at the root of her approach.

Since studying Tapestry at Edinburgh College of Art followed by an MFA Studio Arts in Montreal, she has been the recipient of several residencies and awards. Her work has also been included in numerous exhibitions and is held in private and public collections within Canada and Europe.

Jo Ball took held a One Thousand Flowers event at Mangotsfield Folly recently, helping the site settle into its environment all year round.

Lauren Ainley is a 21-year-old dance artist and choreographer from Cheshire, and a recent graduate of @trinitylaban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.

In her work she explores the language of intimacy; the vulnerability encountered when people move body to body, breath to breath, in an open space. Her choreography explores the layers worn closest to our skin, the audience’s proximity and the vulnerability of the dancer when embodying movement. Her final degree piece, ‘The unmentionable that wore her’ was a dance film exploring the impact of Victorian undergarments on women’s ability to perform sporting movements.

Lauren will be creating a new site-specific dance work for herself and another professional dancer, exploring Mangotsfield’s coal mining history and the role of the station as a way of transporting coal. We hope that the work will be performed at Mangotsfield in the Spring of 2023. Lauren will share her development process via her Instagram account so give it a follow – @laurenainley_choreo