Annali Grimes – Curator and Producer at Litterarti

“I want to bring awareness to everybody, give people the understanding to make different choices. They have the choice when they are aware”, Annali Grimes.

 

What is your job about?

Litterarti is a non-profit Community Group who raises awareness, and educate about rubbish and recycling through art.

We contribute to building solutions to environmental problems by organising creative workshops for children, organising public arts trails and events.

We bring together the skills and creativity of a network of recycling-artists in Bristol, Bath and the South West to work alongside schools, the council, community groups, universities and the corporate sector to tackle rubbish and waste issues. We use art as a tool to raise more awareness and educate. We work with schools, councils, governments and artists, live art and art performances. This draws attention, intrigues the viewer and draws attention to waste and the problems it creates.

 

What issues do you address?

• Waste
• Recycling
• Litter

 

What moved you to take action?

I studied graphic design had a well paid job in London etc. I moved home for several months after my father died and began cleaning my family farm. This was a huge healing process and also helped me to reconnect to nature and my environment. I had a sense of purpose and a connection.

 

What were the obstacles that you had to overcome?

• Space, storage space
• Volunteers
• Different styles of marketing
• Tight schedules of secondary schools
• Wide range of age groups
• Accessing local sponsorship

 

What helped you keep going during hard times?

• Remember how important the work is
• To get the message to children
• Cannot escape the responsibility
• I really believe in this

 

When did you first become interested in environmental issues and when was that?

It has always been there. I reconnected when I went back to my family home in South Africa, I was disconnected but I found it again. It was a personal way to get back and connect with nature.

 

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being very happy) where would you rate how you feel about your life?

10