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.

Blog

Psalmathon

This St Peter's day on 29 June, Exeter Cathedral held a Psalmathon - reading all 150 Psalms in about 8 hours.

Article

The Climate Emergency and #BlackLivesMatter

I'm writing a series of articles for Exeter Cathedral's monthly News about what we can do about the Climate Emergency. White people say we want to be an ally to Black people. But are we ready for sacrifice?

Exhibition/Installation

Experimenting for "Moths to a Flame"

The amazingly creative Chloe Uden from Art and Energy has made oak gall ink, so I attempted watercolour for the first time, and a Great Oak Beauty moth.

Academia

Working title: “The application of weather forecasting techniques to health forecasting”

In a past working life I conducted a thought experiment, looking at the different aspects of numerical weather prediction and weather forecasting at the Met Office, and asking whether these techniques might have an analogue in health forecasting. At the time, I thought there might be a paper in it. It never came to be written, so this is how I am keeping the idea alive.

Performance/Event

West Barok Singers & Players

A concert of Handel "Dixit Dominus" and other baroque gems, held in the Music Room at Powderham Castle.

Talk/Workshop

Lectio Divina on Zoom

Initially a step into the unknown, group Lectio Divina over Zoom has proved to work extremely well; its very structured format holds open a space for deep encounters with both God and each other.

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.

News

"Minecraft Climate Quest" is STEAMMing ahead

I'm looking forward to piloting "Minecraft Climate Quest" at the ExIST STEAMM Show, an interactive exhibition of commercial, research and creative projects from the south west which combine arts, sciences and technology.

Random Work Generator

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

Attentiveness

Great expectations

Expectation can be good; having high expectations of students can lead them to do better. People in general tend to live up to or down to expectations. The problem is when the expectations are unrealistic.

Environment

"Knitting and other revolutionary acts"

Clare Bryden. Knitting and other revolutionary acts. Third Way Magazine, May 2015.
As competing political voices reach election crescendo, could it be that artistic, home-spun forms of activism are more positive and quietly persuasive? Clare Bryden hails the rise of ‘Craftivism’ and explains how knitting can change the world.

Making

"Particulart: Up in the Air" pop-up at TEDxExeter

Clare was honoured to be able to show Particulart at TEDxExeter 2016, in between a nice lot of Particulart-relevant talks(!) such as Danny Dorling on different ways of mapping the world, Alan Smith on how statistics are about Us, and the video of Al Gore's latest TED talk on climate change.

Place

Blackberrying for beginners

Clare Bryden. Blackberrying for beginners. Resurgence Magazine, Sep/Oct 2013.
Shortlisted essay from the Resurgence & Ecologist Nature Writing Competition.

Play

New work: "Little colouring books"

Today I p-p-picked up a pilot from the University printshop. I am very excited to see my idea for presenting the UK Climate Projections 2009 as a colour-by-numbers booklet coming to fruition! So, I present to you...

Public Engagement

Building with the Quarry Pod

I haven't written much about the progress of the Heavitree Squilometre Quarry Pod. It's been a period of research then consolidation and creative pondering, by turns fascinating, inspiring, and great fun!

Science and Data

My favourite pie charts

A bit of fun. Some of them are more favourite than others! Now with a second helping!

Social Justice

Review of “Sharing Possessions”

Clare Bryden. Review of “Sharing Possessions” by L.T.Johnson. Modern Believing, Volume 53:2, April 2012.