in front of the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I (photo by John Hunter)
Common Salt
Sheila Ghelani and Sue Palmer
Common Salt is a performance around a table – a ‘show and tell’.
It explores the colonial, geographical and natural history of England and India taking an expansive and emotional time-travel, from the first Enclosure Act and the start of the East India Company in the 1600s, to 21st century narratives of trade, empire and culture.
Sue and Sheila activate insights into our shared past, laying out a ‘home museum’ of objects and stories; of the Great Hedge of India, of borders, and collections – all accompanied by original Shruti box laments.
Common Salt – the interconnectedness between history, empire, nature and memory is hidden in plain sight.
Common Salt performances coming up …
Tuesday 14 May & Wednesday 15 May at 6pm in Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival – book tickets here.
Wednesday 15 May at 6pm – Livestream – free, register here.
Common Salt book
Our book, designed by RULER, is published in partnership with the Live Art Development Agency. The book documents and explores the project, placing the performance text, images and reflections from both artists alongside writings from invited guests, including curators, activists and artists.
Contributors including Alan Read, Jane Trowell, Deepa Bhasthi, Maddy Costa, Matty Pye, Lisa Woynarski, Rajni Shah and Alice Procter reflect on the wider contexts of the themes explored in Common Salt.
Buy the Common Salt book from LADA, or from Sheila Ghelani’s shop.
Previous performances 2018-24:
South London Botanical Institute, Battersea Arts Centre, Bristol Central Library, Bside Festival Portland, Dartington Hall Devon, Wellcome Collection London, Frome Museum, Southernay House Exeter, King’s College London, Wells Library Somerset, Cambridge Junction, Frome Library Somerset, Lancaster Maritime Museum (Lancaster Arts), Yeovil Library Somerset, Queen’s House Royal Museums Greenwich, SITELINES & the University of Reading at The MERL Reading, OSR Projects West Coker Somerset, Manchester Central Library, Attenborough Arts Centre Leicester, Museum of London Docklands, UAL Wimbledon & Chelsea College of Arts, The Hunterian Museum Glasgow and National Trust Bath Assembly Rooms.
Audience Responses:
‘Common Salt … was exquisite … A miniature with epic undertones.‘
‘Common Salt is an extraordinary, sleep-stealing, intricately-woven story of history and power and race and…oh so much more. Can’t recommend it highly enough – a unique and unforgettable experience.‘
‘ … like reading a book in 3D real life. Both my friend and I were gripped throughout and couldn’t stop talking about all the ideas it sparked.‘
‘Common Salt was incredible – Sheila Ghelani and Sue Palmer create a completely hypnotic space. Honestly unlike anything I’ve seen before.‘
“Get yourself down to see this if you can. Consider our histories. Recognise our human joys and errors. Hear and see a story woven on a table top. Be lulled by simple, beautiful songs accompanied by the Shruti box … If you’re anything like me, you’ll be still thinking about it days afterwards. And you’ll never be able to look at a hedge in the same way ever again. Highly recommended.” Andy Smith
Common Salt – links to reviews, articles and interviews
Common Salt on Sheila Ghelani’s website
Lament – a response to Common Salt by Carl Lavery
Common Salt book, part of the exhibition Dining In at the Portico Library, Manchester – July to October 2023
Common Salt featured as part of BBC India article – The mysterious disappearance of the world’s longest shrubbery by Kamala Thiagarajan.
Thinking about Common Salt – Sheila and Sue reflect on making Common Salt – May 2020
Exeunt review of Common Salt – by Naomi Obeng – March 2020
On Salt and Tax – article in FEAST Online Journal Issue 2 Salt – February 2020
Listen to an interview with the artists by Scare the Horses curator Paula Crutchlow, with contributions from Dr Nicola Thomas, Cultural Geographer at University of Exeter – February 2020
Artist of the Month at Art.Earth – Sue Palmer writes in response to questions about making Common Salt – September 2018
Background to the work:
Common Salt is an artwork made by artists Sheila Ghelani and Sue Palmer, who began collaborating in 2013, investigating a thread of connected narratives, originally inspired by the hedgerow, as part of Sheila’s two-year Rambles with Nature project.
Developed over 4 years of research into the colonial and geographical history of England and India, the work is rich and complex, resonant with our contemporary times. Working against our collective amnesia, Common Salt explores the knotty complexity of lucre, enclosures and borders and the economic and social history of trade.
The artists developed Common Salt while in residence at b-side, Portland, Dorset in May 2017, with work-in-progress showings on July 6th 2017 at b-side’s Outpost.
Common Salt Tour 2018:
South London Botanical Institute, London (part of Chelsea Fringe) | Thursday 24 May | 4:00pm & 7:00pm
Battersea Arts Centre, London | Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 June | 2:30pm & 7:00pm
Bristol Central Library, Bristol | Thursday 13th September | 4:30pm & 7:30pm
Artist Talk – a Lunchtime Lecture in Bristol Library about the research behind Common Salt with Sue | Thursday 6th September | 12.30pm to 1.15pm
b-side Festival Fortuneswell, Portland, Dorset | Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 September | 1.00pm & 4.00pm
Dartington Hall, Devon (hosted by art.earth) | Friday 28th September | 6:00pm & 8:00pm
Wellcome Collection, Reading Room, London | Thursday 4th October at 6.00pm & 8.00pm | Friday 5th October at 4.00pm (BSL interpreted)
Frome Museum, Somerset | Saturday 20 October | 4:00pm & 7:00pm
Southernhay House, Exeter, Devon |as part of Scare The Horses | Thursday 31 January 2019 | 6:00pm & 8:30pm
Common Salt National Tour 2019 – 2020:
(Tour produced in partnership with Somerset Libraries, Somerset Art Works and all our host venues)
Kings College London, (part of Theatre Capital programme) | Thursday 17 October | 11.00am (with post show discussion)
Wells Library, Somerset | Saturday 19th October | 11.00am & 2.00pm
Cambridge Junction, Cambridge | Monday 21st October | 5:30pm & 8.00pm
Frome Library, Somerset | Saturday 9th November | 11.30am & 2.30pm
Lancaster Arts / Lancaster Maritime Museum | Saturday 16 November | 3.00pm & 7.00pm
Yeovil Library, Somerset | Saturday 30th November | 11.30am & 2.30pm
Queen’s House, Royal Museums Greenwich | Friday 6th December| 11.30am & 2.30pm
SITELINES & University of Reading at The Museum of English Rural Life, Reading | Wednesday 29th January | 2.00pm (students/fully booked) & 7.00pm
OSR Projects, Old School Room, West Coker, Somerset BA22 9BD | Saturday 1st February | 3.00pm & 7.00pm
Manchester Central Library | Friday 7th February | 11.30am & 2.30pm
Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester | Friday 6th March | 4.00pm & 7.00pm
The following shows were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic: Red Brick Building Glastonbury, Holburne Museum Bath, Live Art Development Agency London, Urban Room Folkestone, The British Library London.
Museum of London Docklands | Friday 9th October 2020 | 3.15pm & 6.30pm (fully booked) | Saturday 10th October | 4.45pm Event includes a self-led tour around the Museum of London Docklands in connection to the history of the East India Company. Book tickets and all information here.
Common Salt shows 2022 – 2024:
Chelsea College of Arts London | Wednesday 4th May 2022 | 2.30pm & 6.00pm with aftershow Q+A at 7.30pm
Glasgow University College of Arts | October 2023 | The Hunterian Museum and Theatre Studies hosted a week of shows, workshops and a symposium:
· 2 public performances at The Hunterian at Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 October at 12 noon & 3pm
· A free public workshop at the Kelvinhall – 2pm to 4pm on Thursday 12 October:
· A Public Symposium on Friday 13 October 2pm to 4.30pm on Friday 13 October. The symposium will include responses from colleagues across the College of Arts and beyond: Peggy Brunache, Andrew MacKillop, Zandra Yeaman, Gonca Yalcin, Deborah Dixon, Rosie Spooner & Stephen Mullen.
National Trust Bath Assembly Rooms | Saturday 24 February 2024 | 2pm & 6pm in the Tea Room – book tickets here.
Common Salt (A Lament) was made by artist and moving image maker Lucy Cash in collaboration with Sue and Sheila. It was exhibited at b-side festival’s ‘Outpost’ in 2018.
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Supported using public funds by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Developed with support from b-side and One Final Act by Rajni Shah Projects.
Sue Palmer - artist, maker, producer 