Printing the Commons

Printing the Commons is a collaboration between MA Printmaking students and the storytelling group of the Bristol Commons. Together, we produced a series of prints that explore political narratives around the act of commoning, offering a visual critique of neoliberal perspectives on human organisation. They challenge the dominant notion of the “tragedy of the commons”. This narrative frames humans as inherently greedy subjects, who are only motivated by self-interest and competition. Instead, the prints present stories, acts of solidarity and collective action, as well as cultural shifts needed for a world of commoning.

The project used printmaking as a socially engaging method, providing a medium for artists and activists to communicate embodied knowledge and artmaking within a collaborative framework.

Supported by UWE Bristol Community Fund and Quartet Community Foundation.

Photography by Leoni Fretwell.