Hello - Clare Bryden

Silent Spring at Mikrofest 2019. Photo credit Lily Holman. — HELLO
I am a freelance artist, writer, and consultant.
Please come on in!

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

UK Climate Projections 2018 in Lego

This is an update to my previous post on trialling a Lego visualisation of UKCP09. This second trial uses the latest data from UKCP18 and covers the whole UK.

Blog

What do we want? Climate injustice!

When do we want it? World without end! For what are we shouting? With our voices? And with our actions that speak louder than words?

Article

“Springs in the Desert” for ViaMedia.News

O wilderness God, I do not ask to avoid the journey and the struggle. Only help me to trust that you are always beside me holding my hand fast in yours, even when all seems dark and dry, and that you will lead me to a place of refreshment, and blessing at the end. Amen.

Exhibition/Installation

"Climate Questing in Minecraft"

In which the UK Climate Projections 2018 meet Minecraft and "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain".

Performance/Event

"Compline: A contemplative journey through Lent" in St Martin's Church

The ancient close-of-the-day service of Compline, with plainchant and polyphony. Hosted by Margaret Aagesen Hughes (Soprano) and Clare Bryden (Alto). Featuring the music of Bach, Barber and Saint-Saëns, and musicians Ruth Molins, Sophie Brewer (Flute), Emma Welton (Violin), Catherine Bradley (Cello).

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

Workshop on "Slow Bible Reading"

workshop was on the ancient monastic practice of Lectio Divina, part of a Prayer & Spirituality Day at Exeter Cathedral.

Academia

“Live the questions now: control, connectedness and making conceptual art”

Giving fourth year students at Exeter Medical School an introduction to conceptual and environmental art, looking at meaning-making and how we turn ideas into art, making art.

Random Work Generator

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

Attentiveness

Silent Spring

Today is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. In its honour, I am spending a couple of hours walking around my neighbourhood listening for bird song. In the meantime, here are three short posts I wrote a year and a half ago, reflecting on the book.

Environment

"Green|Blue" at Greenbelt

I had a wonderful time showing Green|Blue at Greenbelt... mostly! It just wouldn't be the same if I wasn't cursing how complicated and time-consuming it is to set up my art stuff, especially when I only had 3-6pm on a Sunday afternoon to set up, show, and take down.

Making

Roll up! Roll up to the Art Vending Machine!

The Art Vending Machine is a fun installation that sells playing card-sized art to the regular punter. "Green|Blue: Drop Slow Tears", the mini mirror tears, are one of eleven different multiples during the 2017/18 season.

Place

Working with gold, weaving with data - talk content

Further to yesterday's post about my five-minute talk "Working with gold, weaving with data" at Exeter City Futures, I thought I'd share more of the talk content.

Play

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!!

Public Engagement

"Freefall Climate Graffiti" Workshop 1: Climate Science and Street Art

This week and the next two weeks Cleo Heard and I are running workshops with the Freefall youth group in preparation for painting the Phoenix graffiti wall with the UK Climate Projections during Art Week Exeter. As well as climate science and street art, Workshop 1 also covered design for colour blindness.

Science and Data

Graphical Web

This week I've been geeking out at Graphical Web, "an annual, global conference that showcases the many new open source technologies available for presenting visual information on the web."