sonya's cv

Volunteer at the 50:50 parliament campaign 2015 – 17
Took on a range of public-facing roles from hosting stalls promoting the campaign (for equal gender representation in parliament), to giving talks to groups such as the girl scouts. Learnt communication and organisational skills.

Projects and Accomplishments

Our Bloc 2022 - present
An intersectional collective for female and non-binary artists based in London, co-founded by me and Antonia Adomako. We take inspiration from the legacy of late 20th century intersectional and black feminist groups, so our focus is on crafting a modern form of political organisation; exploring how a group like this can function in the current creative climate of London, where each member balances multiple jobs and responsibilities. Me and Antonia have hosted and organised a range of sessions, from discussions of texts, to film screenings, to attending talks and workshops together. We are working on our application for a residency at the Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art in 2024.

Video Night 2022 - present
An ongoing collaborative project between me and Evie Savini, an exhibition catered specifically to video work. We have done 3 exhibitions in this model, each containing at least 10 separate video installations. Evie mostly works as a technician, installing the various equipment as well as coding Arduino sensors to make the sound engage with the viewers of the work, whilst I carry the more traditional curatorial responsibilities (choosing and liaising with artists, managing the layout of the space, compiling and formatting exhibition booklets, liaising with the exhibition venue, making promotional materials and advertising the exhibition).

Pulp Radio 2021 - 22
A weekly show in which I interviewed artists and young creative people working in London. Helped me develop a proficiency with audio editing software, as well as consolidate my networking and communication abilities, and deepen my understanding of contemporary arts and cultural discourse through rigorous conversation. Consolidated my graphic design skills making a range of promotional material for the show for social media.
Archived episodes: https://www.mixcloud.com/pulpradio/

In other company 2021
A show I conceived of and curated for Deptford X festival, showcasing the work of 21 local artists over the festival period of 8 days. Organised and facilitated 4 live performances at the private view. Developed many organisational and management skills, having to maintain responsibilities to the festival, the venue and the participating artists.

Temp.TC 2019
Participated in the Transborders festival in 2019 as part of the Temp.TC collective, an international group of 16 artists that carried out a two week residency living in Cmurek Castle. Learnt deeply about collaboration, co-curation, and how to work in a different cultural context and reconcile potential differences and miscommunications.

Sophia Woodruff
more commonly known as sonya
sonya.woodruff.art@gmail.com
07935616564

An artist and curator focussed on exploring the emotional experiences of individuals in a way which reveals truths about broader social trends and cultural realities. Especially interested in exploring this through video technology and investigations into digital (and historic/legacy media) cultures.

Education: Goldsmiths BA Fine Art, First Class Honours (2020-23)

Languages: English (fluent), Russian (working proficiency)

selected work experience

Venue Manager at Matchstick Piehouse, 2022 - present

A broad-ranging role, beginning with working as a bar manager, carrying responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of all of the customers and staff. I have expanded into redesigning the website, managing commercial and political relationships (from brands to local organisations), helping to curate our program and instate new policies for the venue, as well as overseeing the development of a new financial business model. I am currently developing an exhibition space within the venue, as well as sending out funding applications on behalf of the space. I continue to manage customer and collaborator relations, and have managed to grow our instagram following from 6,000 to 10,000 followers in a 4 month period, as well as set up and manage YouTube account for the venue. I also manage the majority of the lighting design in the space. In my time at Matchstick I have facilitated a huge range of cultural events, from performance art nights to exhibitions to live music to workshops. I’m comfortable working with a range of accessibility needs, and sensitive to the way that these needs may present themselves.
Between 2018 and 2020 I also worked at Matchstick Piehouse as a volunteer.

A 2-month long role as part of the ‘Goldsmiths Research Internship Program’. Worked as a research assistant reading prospective texts and evaluating their suitability for the publication, as well as identifying gaps in the material and compiling suggestions for texts. Carried out manual word counts and created and managed an excel spreadsheet which held information about each text and its relevance to the publication. Helped to organise the 63 chosen texts into relevant chapters and categories, and compiled suggestions for further reading for each category. Learnt a great deal about the theoretical history of curating and curatorial studies, and gained an awareness of many contemporary curators, curatorial modes of approach and ongoing debates in the field.