Plot 9 Presents... (#1)

Under a parachute in SE London… 5 speakers, Q&A and fire-side chat. A brand-new event in a brand-new outdoor community space. Free!

Join us for our first storytelling/spoken-word event at Plot 9 - a council allotment that Andy has transformed into a new community gathering space. The event will take place in a structure he (and hopefully in time, the world!) calls the 'Dodeca-Den' - a 12-sided/circular gathering space designed for workshops, talks and therapeutic practices.

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The Idea...

Andy is collaborating with another Greenwich local, Clare Barry to co-create this new event which we plan to hold monthly. We're open to all suggestions as to how to craft future editions, so come along to the first proto-event and help us shape how it develops. We're really excited about bringing this new project alive.

For the first event, we're keeping it very open with the main idea for the speaker to present a topic that might reveal something about them, opening the door to further conversations, connections and hopefully collaborations. The area is covered and will go ahead unless the wind is strong enough to make the ex-army parachute break free from its tethers and take to the air again.

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Schedule

7:30pm: Arrive in time for the start...

8pm: We will start with a short grounding meditation then speakers will start at..

8:15pm: 5 speakers*, each speaking for 12 (a nod to the 12-sided space) minutes followed by a Q&A. To close we will make time to discuss how the event could look for future episodes and socialising until...

9:45pm(ish): Event closes. Please leave quietly. (Trains back into town leave at 21:44 and 22:07, a few mins walk away).

*and if we're lucky, Basil, the charming resident fox (pictured) might make one of his regular but unscheduled appearances.

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Speakers for our first event

* Andy Millns, the creator of Plot 9 Maze Hill, talks about the creation of the space. Andy has a background in immersive digital experiences and ran his own digital production agency (Inition) for 15 years as creative director. He's taken a break from tech to get back to his countryside roots, engaging with nature and building outdoors with natural materials. 

Andy is on the organising committee for Breaking Convention, Europe's largest and longest-running psychedelics conference where he curates the Installation Art. More about Andy's interests and his socials at: https://linktr.ee/greenwichsky

* Eva Aldea is a writer based in Greenwich. Her debut novel, Singapore, is out now with Holland House Books. She is Lecturer in Creative Writing at De Montfort and she edits and writes for small games developer W.R.K.S Games. She was diagnosed as ADHD at age 47. She is running a project inviting writers to reflect on the relationship between their diagnosis and their work. www.evaldea.com

* Zabby Allen is a nature enthusiast, London National Park City ranger and forager-in-training. She's the chair of Wild South London Community, a new group that will raise awareness and promote the biodiversity of wildlife in south London through a series of events. Zabby helps people learn about nature through her Substack newsletter, the Nature Notice Board, and through her illustrations on Instagram. zabbyallen.com

https://www.instagram.com/zabbyallen             https://naturenoticeboard.substack.com/

* Tiu de Haan is an Oxford-educated ritual designer, creative facilitator and inspirational speaker. She curates and creates unique moments of meaning that connect us to ourselves and each other, consulting for global brands on rituals for beauty, food and well-being, as well as creating bespoke rituals for times of transition for individuals, communities and organizational change.

Tiu has worked with Google, the World Economic Forum, L’Oreal and the UN, and is a visiting lecturer at UAL and Bristol University. Her work bridges the scientific, the secular and the sacred, as she collaborates with world-leading neuroscientists, quantum physicists and chemists to create experiences that shift our perspective to see the magic in the mundane. Her Tedx talk ‘Why we still need ritual’ is about the art of celebrating the transitions of life, love and death and has had over 27k views. www.tiudehaan.com

* Horatio Blood, showman and local history and English Toy Theatre enthusiast will be presenting some of his extensive research on the riotous Greenwich Fair. ROLL UP! ROLL UP! As Horatio evokes the UNRIVALLED ATTRACTIONS of GREENWICH FAIR - to which, twice a year at Easter and Whitsun, hordes of pleasure seekers descended upon Greenwich by road, river and railway for THREE DAYS OF ROLEY-POLEY, RUMBUSTIOUS REVELRY!!!

Please contact us if you'd like to speak at a future event or get involved in any way.

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Travel info

Plot 9 is in east Greenwich, a few minutes walk from Maze Hill Overground Station which is served by Southeastern and Thameslink trains. You can catch a direct train to Maze Hill from any of: Greenwich, Deptford, London Bridge, Cannon St, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon, St Pancras or West Hampstead.  

VIDEO DIRECTIONS: It's a short route from Maze Hill station to Plot 9 but a little bit convoluted so please look at video directions here showing how to get there from Platform 2 of Maze Hill where you'll alight if coming from central London.

It is also possible to travel via North Greenwich and get the 188 or 422 bus, alighting on Trafalgar Road or Woolwich Road and walking up Vanbrugh Hill, turning right onto Restell Close. The space is halfway down the hill on the right. Look for the bright green campervan and the entrance is 10 metres beyond it on the right.

Google maps pin.

If you're driving then there's usually plenty of free space on nearby Humber Road (free parking from 6:30pm).

Sadly Plot 9 is not (yet) wheelchair accessible.  

Leaving

To head back into town at the end of the event, trains leave platform 1 of Maze Hill station at 21:44, 22:07 and 22:14. Platform 1 is only a 1 minute walk from Plot 9. Please leave quietly as it's a residential area and Andy will take the flack if you don't! 

If you'd like to stay on in the area and chat then the very-recently reopened pub The Duke of Greenwich is 2 minutes walk away and open until 11pm. 

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Refreshments

Please feel free to bring any refreshments and snacks. Water will be available for humans and dogs.

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Toilets

On arrival: Toilets in Maze Hill station are open until 7:30pm

Toilets in Andy's flat adjacent to Plot 9. Also plenty of wild-wee options. :) We hope to have a composting loo in the future.

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Donations

This is a free event but Plot 9 is happy to accept your donations which can be your time, plants, ideas or cash via paypal to support the development and maintenance of the space. Plot 9 has been built almost single-handedly by Andy and he has funded it privately. Recently Andy has welcomed donations of plants from the Moat Foundation and Greenwich Park and is grateful for their support, alongside the many friends and family that have lent a hand and moral support.

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Keeping in touch / interested in using the space?

Plot 9 is available to hire for free for events that align with our values of providing an inclusive therapeutic space for activities that support community-building, well-being, connecting with nature, creativity and learning. Send Plot 9's Instagram a dm or email andy.millns@gmail.com if you're interested in talking.

To stay informed of events at Plot 9 and Andy's other projects, join the very infrequent mailing-list here or follow Plot 9's Instagram.