Sheila is really pleased to share the news that Land Body Ecologies (which Sheila is part of) is the next recipient of the Wellcome Trust’s renowned Hub Award. The grant provides a dynamic research space in the Wellcome Collection building at the heart of London, where people with different expertise can collaborate on projects exploring health, life and art.
The Land Body Ecologies Research Group, initiated by Invisible Flock, will undertake a two-year research project that brings together a team of human rights activists, mental health researchers, scientists, and artists to research the phenomenon of solastalgia. A developing field in global health, solastalgia is defined as the emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change, or commonly described as “the feeling of homesickness while you are still at home.” Through the lens of solastalgia, the project aims to understand the lived experiences of land trauma on marginalised and indigenous communities.
The research is anchored within communities and the project will bring to life a live network of hubs in Northern Finland, Kenya, Uganda, India, as well as central London. These hubs will support the incorporation of local knowledge, perspectives, and lived experiences in the research, which is vital as the team aims to better understand the traumas endured when the lands and ecosystems suffer.
The Land Body Ecologies Research Group is the fourth collaborative residency group in Wellcome Collection’s Hub since 2014. The project will commence in October 2021.
LBE is Dr Ayesha Ahmad, Dr Outi Autti, Samrawit Gougsa (Minority Rights Group International), Kaisa Kerätär (Waria), Invisible Flock , Quicksand, Ogiek Peoples’ Development Project and Sheila.
