GUT FEELINGS

VOICING THE VIsCERAL

DEADLINE -12 Aug 
WORKSHOP - 11 SEPT / 2-6

Our gut is lengthy, weighty, coiled tightly in the core of our bodies. It is forever present but out of sight, gurgling and growling, communicating its digestive processes. Culture can silence or shame our insides, but the viscera continue to speak in voices characterised as bold, honest and vital. We are gutted, we are gutsy, we are forever stirred by gut reactions. Our understanding of the gut's effect on mood, mind and health is fast evolving, and as we learn more about the power of the microbiome and the gut-brain axis, we are seeking ways to engage with these inner parts as bodily correspondents.

What if we found ways to unspool and explore the hidden channels of our being? What if we found opportunities for the body to speak for itself, allowing the unsung parts to bellow? What if we engaged with digestion through a metabolic form of writing?

Artists Fiona Glen and Esme Boggis lead a 4hr collaborative workshop exploring the theme of ‘digestion’ through writing and voice.  The workshop will be a creative and open space to share and discuss materials, produce work, and collaborate to develop pieces that centre the use of the written and spoken word.  This generative process will include opportunities to share pieces publicly through a print publication, a live event planned for October, and potentially a broadcast. All presentations will be co-created by participants, and supported and promoted by TACO!

As the Gut Feelings workshop will be intimate and collaborative, spaces are limited.  We’re looking for a diverse group of up to 13 people who are interested in creatively exploring the subject. 

The workshop will be hosted at TACO! with snacks and refreshments provided. Gut Feelings forms part of the DreamsTimeFree programme, supporting the launch of Dreams Time Free #2: Soft Tissue, the second in the series of an annual publication for experimental artists writing, published by TACO!

If you would like to take part, please email info@taco.org.uk by the 12th  August with a few lines introducing yourself and your creative practice and why you would like to take part in this project. We look forward to receiving your responses and will reply to expressions of interest by the 18th of August.




Esme Boggis and Fiona Glen are two artists working with writing and the body.

Esme Boggis is an artist and writer based in South East London. Her interests lie in the slippery nature of bodies, language, geographies, and objects, in states of flux, tension and mistranslation. She completed an MA in Writing at the Royal College of Art in 2020. Her writing has been published online and in print, including The Double Negative, Abstract Magazine, Plicnik Space, ARC Magazine and NOIT Journal. She has performed and exhibited in galleries across London including Flat Time House, SET, The Bomb Factory Art Foundation and Guest Projects.


Fiona Glen is a writer and artist interested in the complex relationships between humans and our fellow animals, and in the lives of objects and materials. Glen’s writing has been published in periodicals including Aesthetica, NOIT Journal, 3:AM Magazine, and MAP Magazine, as well as in various anthologies. She has read at the London Science Museum and Gossamer Fog gallery, and she has previously been commissioned by BBC x ICA New Creatives.