The Deep Council Series

The Deep Council Series is an ongoing research and curatorial programme developed by Prof Sarah Perks that brings together relational curating, socially engaged practice and performative methodologies to explore forms of collective encounter and knowledge production. Working through a series of thematic iterations, the project creates temporary participatory structures in which embodied, creative and speculative forms of enquiry can emerge. Situated at the intersection of curatorial practice, performance and collaborative research, the series investigates how collective experiences, movement, conversation and ritualised activities can generate alternative ways of thinking, sensing and producing knowledge. Through workshops, performances and co-produced events, the project explores themes including ecology, intimacy, spirituality, social connection and systems of care, contributing to contemporary discussions around expanded curatorial practice and experimental methodologies. The project develops and tests forms of what Perks has elsewhere termed “wild curating”: practices that move beyond exhibition-making to foreground participation, embodiment and collective meaning-making.

The Deep Council Series is a programme of creative workshops and events that brings people together to think, move, talk and make in different ways. Each Council explores a different theme—such as energy, ecology, intimacy or spirituality—and uses activities including movement, conversation and creative exercises to create shared experiences and new ways of understanding the world around us. Rather than traditional talks or workshops, the Councils invite people to take part in collective and imaginative experiences that encourage reflection, connection and collaboration.

Emerging findings suggest that embodied and participatory curatorial methods can create alternative forms of engagement and collective knowledge production that move beyond conventional discussion-based or exhibition-led formats. The research indicates that movement, ritualised activity and co-created experiences can support different modes of participation and encourage forms of reflection, exchange and social connection that are difficult to access through more traditional structures. Across multiple iterations, the project has highlighted the value of temporary collective spaces as sites for experimentation, care and collaborative meaning-making. The series continues to explore how expanded curatorial practices may contribute to wider conversations around participation, relationality and new forms of cultural encounter.