In August 2026, the Delia Derbyshire Building will host FAiR4All, a new exhibition under the GameChangers RemixPlay Summit Series (to be launched during the first week of August). Mark your calendars! Building on the success of the original FAiR (Frugal Artist-in-Residence) programme, this exhibition marks a significant step in translating a community-engaged, playful, and art–science approach from Malaysia into a UK context.
At its core, FAiR4All is not simply an exhibition. It is a living, participatory platform that brings together art, science, play, and community voices to explore environmental awareness through a “glocal” lens, where global insights meet local realities.
What We Learned from FAiR
The original FAiR programme, developed through collaborations in Malaysia, demonstrated that environmental engagement becomes more meaningful when it is:
- Playful and participatory, rather than didactic
- Community-led, rather than externally imposed
- Materially grounded, using frugal and locally available resources
- Art–science driven, bridging emotional and empirical understanding
Across workshops, murals, cyanotype printing, and community installations, FAiR revealed that the process of co-creation is as important as the final artefact. Participants did not simply “take part” but developed a sense of ownership, custodianship, and identity through their creative contributions.
Importantly, FAiR also showed how frugality is not limitation, but a catalyst. Working with natural dyes, plant-based materials, and recycled resources opened up new forms of creativity while embedding sustainability into the act of making.
From Local to ‘Glocal’: Translating FAiR into the UK
FAiR4All (funded through the ESRC IAA) extends these insights into the UK, reinterpreting them through Coventry’s own environmental, cultural, and community contexts.
Rather than replicating FAiR, FAiR4All adopts a “glocal” approach:
- Global knowledge from Malaysian community practices
- Local narratives from Coventry’s schools, communities, and artists
This translation is central to the project’s ambition to develop a transferable model for inclusive, co-creative environmental engagement.
The exhibition brings together:
- Malaysian community-produced artworks
- New co-created works from Coventry schools and participants
- Participatory installations that evolve throughout the exhibition
A Ludic Art–Science–Community Exhibition
FAiR4All is framed as a ludic (playful) art–science–community initiative, reflecting GameChangers’ long-standing approach to playful design and co-creation. The figure below illustrates a rough idea for the exhibition that is being co-curated.
Visitors will not just observe, but actively contribute through:
Collective Environmental Canvas
Participants respond to prompts such as:
- What nature should we protect?
- What should Coventry’s environment look like in the future?
Their responses become part of a growing collective artwork.
Collaborative Sculpture Making
Using recycled materials, visitors co-create a shared sculptural installation, representing collective environmental imagination.
Live Artistic Practice
A Malaysian artist will create a new artwork live during the exhibition, offering insight into process, dialogue, and cross-cultural exchange.
Gallery Conversations
Informal tours and discussions will explore:
- FAiR’s methodology
- Environmental storytelling
- The role of art and play in community engagement
Together, these elements transform the exhibition into a dynamic space of interaction, reflection, and co-creation.
Co-Curation and Collaboration
FAiR4All is currently being co-curated through a collaborative partnership that reflects its principles:
- James Robinson – Local UK artist and co-creator
- Angelina Bong – Local Malaysian artist and co-creator
- Craig Ashley – Head of School and curator within the College of Arts and Society
- The FAiR4All research and GameChangers team
- Malaysian FAiR collaborators led by Dr. Jacey-Lynn Minoi
- Colleagues and students at Coventry University
This distributed curatorial model ensures that the exhibition remains dialogic, inclusive, and grounded in multiple perspectives.
Engaging Communities Through Co-Creation
A key extension in FAiR4All is the integration of schools and local communities into the exhibition process.
Through co-creation workshops, pupils are invited to:
- Reflect on environmental issues that matter to them
- Create artworks using mixed and recycled materials
- Contribute directly to the exhibition narrative
These works are not supplementary. They are central to the exhibition, reinforcing the principle that everyone is a creator, not just an audience member.
Beyond the Exhibition: Building a Model for Impact
FAiR4All is part of a broader trajectory. The exhibition feeds into:
- The ESRC Festival of Social Science showcase
- The development of a FAiR Hub model for replication
- Evidence for long-term impact, including REF case studies
The project continues to explore how playful, frugal, and community-driven approaches can support:
- Environmental awareness
- Creative enterprise
- Social and cultural transformation
Why FAiR4All Matters
At a time when environmental challenges can feel abstract or overwhelming, FAiR4All offers a different approach.
It demonstrates that:
- Engagement begins with participation
- Understanding emerges through making
- Change is rooted in community ownership
By bringing together global insights and local action, FAiR4All embodies a simple but powerful idea:
Sustainability is not only something we learn about. It is something we create together.
Sylvester Arnab 