About Imiloa Collective & Artist and Creative Facilitator, Audrey Albert (Odd Athaëna)

Imiloa Collective:

Founded in Mauritius, Imiloa Collective is a social creative enterprise passionately advocating for diversity and experimentation in the arts, business and creative sector since 2012. Our mission centres on the integration of traditional crafts with contemporary design and sustainability, highlighting the importance of preserving cultural assets.

Through comprehensive entrepreneurial and skill-building training programs, we actively nurture individual growth and contribute to the resilience of underserved communities. With our emphasis on diversity and inclusion, we provide economic opportunities, market access, design and development support to empower and uplift these communities.

Guided by our vision, we are committed to creating a global impact by connecting and supporting artisans, marginalised communities, women entrepreneurs and refugee women in the UK, USA and Southern Africa.

Imiloa Collective's vision lies in building a global community that transcends borders, bridging practices through a blend of cross-cultural creativity and craftsmanship. Our passion drives this initiative, ensuring a positive impact on individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Please see links below

Links:

Imiloa Collective

Our social creative entreprise supporting local artisans and cultural practitioners

Website: https://imiloacollective.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Imiloacollective

Instagram: www.instagram.com/imiloacollective

Audrey Albert:

Audrey Albert is a visual-artist whose research-led practice enables her to consider and investigate themes of national identity, collective memory, displacement, tradition, and denial.

She explores decolonisation of the self, of the land and ancestral practices. Her work is socially engaged and community based. Using collective memories, history and stories she creates on her own or with the help of others. Through co-creation, Albert and participants of her workshops learn, teach and share their personal visual stories.

Born in Mauritius with Chagossian origins, Audrey is currently based in Manchester. Her main body of work Matter Out of Place has been showcased in several exhibitions in Manchester in the UK, Arles in France, Pingyao in China and in Port-Louis, La Tour Koenig and Bambous in Mauritius.

Matter Out of Place started in 2017 and is ongoing. It is a photo series which explores Albert’s Chagossian heritage through a decolonial historical lens whilst also celebrating Chagossian culture. For this series, Albert used herself as a vessel to come up with constructed narratives that shape the work.

In 2020, Audrey created Chagossians of Manchester (CoM) which is a socially-engaged art project. It includes intergenerational photographic workshops where participants explore their memories of home and aspects of Chagossian culture directly connected to their identity.

In 2021, Audrey was selected to be one of the Creative Fellows for Manchester International Festival. She is also a creative facilitator hosting photographic workshops around identity, memory and home. Audrey has previously worked with the Manchester International Festival, the Manchester Art Gallery, The Agency and Contact Theatre amongst others. She is currently working towards her first solo exhibition in the UK commissioned by the Imperial War Museum and FFoto Gallery.

https://bio.site/audreyalbert

Acknowledgment and gratitude

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the UK Government in Mauritius, our partners at the British Council Mauritius, and all our collaborators for their unwavering support of the Chagossian Creative Entrepreneurship Programme. Through our combined efforts, we have made a significant impact on the Chagossian community, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and awareness. We are deeply thankful to our following contributors for their crucial role in the success of this program.

Collaborators: