Main Areas of Focus

My interests are wide-ranging, primarily in how human beings affect and are affected by the natural world of which we are part, and the related theology and psychology of connectedness.

Artist

Creating beautiful and thought-provoking art as a means of supporting care for planet and people, nurturing a sense of place, and building community

Writer

Articles and blogs on economics, environment, nature, attentiveness, applied theology, arts, and anything that interests me

Consultant

» Website development and training
» Energy efficiency and renewable energy consultancy
» Research and reporting

Latest News and Produce

What I’ve recently produced. What I’m working on. What’s in the pipeline.

News

Are you TiCL-ish?!

I originally created the A-Z trail around Heavitree Stone sites on Placeify. But then I came across TiCL, who were really enthusiastic about adding "Q is for Quarries" to their portfolio of Exeter trails. So now there are two versions!!

Blog

1D, 2D, 3D, Go!

This weekend I was back at the Met Office for the NASA Space Apps Challenge, and joined the 3D Earthlings team to play with visualisation of data on a 3D representation of the Earth. Historic meteorite landings... BOOM!!

Article

"Working with Gold" in Digby News

One of my undertakings as Artist in Residence with Digby Community Association was to write about my work for the "Digby News", that is published each November.

Exhibition/Installation

"Turn IP" by The Swede

After complete and utter failure in 2016 and 2017, here is my third and possibly my last attempt for Turnip Prize glory.

Performance/Event

"Patterns": a Studio 36 production

Way back in the mists of time, during Art Week Exeter 2017, I had a conversation about patterns with Veronica Gosling of Studio 36. Five months later I'm singing 20th century classics and knitting on stage.

Recording

"...and the Greatest of these is Love"

In their second album, Antiphon presents world premiere recordings of three choral works by Michael Walsh: an unaccompanied Mass of the Holy Trinity; a full-scale Requiem Mass; and The Way of Love, a setting of five love poems by Rupert Brooke. We recorded it in July 2017 in the crossing and Lady Chapel in Exeter Cathedral.

Talk/Workshop

"Minecraft my home" meetup during Art Week Exeter

"Minecraft my home" is an ongoing activity as part of my "Working with Gold" programme of public art in St Loyes. It is a re-creation of St Loyes as a world in the Minecraft game. During Art Week Exeter, I held a meetup to explore the world together, share what we have been creating, and build more stuff.

Academia

Eco-theology seminars

Seminars for people on the South West Ministry Training Course, training for ministry in the Church of England.

Random Work Generator

There are a number of threads running through all my work. Here’s a random sample from each.

Attentiveness

"Particulart" in the Real Food café

The original “Particulart” was a collaboration between Clare Bryden and Diana Moore, exhibiting in the Exeter Real Food café during autumn 2014. Knitting and emitting particles was our way of telling other people about the Exeter Incinerator and its potential impacts.

Environment

"Green|Blue" featured in the Church Times round-up of Greenbelt

The Church Times editor was kind enough to pop round... and not once but twice, as I was still setting up the first occasion. So I thought it was quite likely I'd be in the review, but it was still nice to see my name in there.

Making

PechaKucha on "Particulart" at Greenbelt

PechaKucha is a new way of doing Powerpoint presentations. There are 20 slides, which must be images only, and they change automatically every 20 seconds, so the talk is only 6 minutes 40 seconds in total. It becomes more of a performance than a presentation.

Place

Q-Day!

Today was the day when we launched the Heavitree Quarry Trails on Exeter's historic Quay! Performances, leaflets of ready-made trails, A-Z trail, umbrella website, and all!

Play

"Particulart: Up in the Air" pop-up at Exeter Green Fair

Exeter Green Fair on 5 September saw the debut of my new "Up in the Air" pop-up. Under a blue gazebo (the sky), I suspended eight pale blue hula hoops (clouds), and from these the eight greenhouse gases.

Public Engagement

Press Release - "Campaigners’ knitting exhibition reveals incinerator is not a woolly issue"

An innovative community art installation goes on show this week to bring alive the impacts of Exeter’s new ‘Energy from Waste’ incineration facility. Members of the community have been knitting larger than life versions of the particles that will be emitted from the new facility. The exhibition which will be on display at the Real Food Café in Paris Street, is designed to tell people about the incinerator, encourage Devon County Council to ensure it is operated properly over its 25 years contract and think harder about their future waste management strategy.

Science and Data

"Particulart: Exhausted" at Oxford Festival of Arts

The overall aim of Particulart is to engage people with environmental and social issues and challenge the status quo through the power of knitting, science, and public art. In addition, “Exhausted” aimed to promote public awareness and provoke reflection on urban air quality, through a quirky display enabling playful interaction. It appeared at “Test Drive the Future”, an exhibition of electric vehicles, that will help solve the problem of air pollution.

Social Justice

Letter to Hugo Swire MP

How is it that in a country as wealthy as the UK, more than 500,000 people are reliant on food parcels? Please represent your constituents, and do something to address food poverty, injustice and inequality.