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

Building community in St Loyes

I'm delighted that Josh Hamilton, the Community Builder in St Loyes, now has a page on the Working with Gold website, which lists a gajillion activities and groups in the area.

Blog

Migration can kill

Since my wander around St Loyes with Rosie King, I’ve been continuing to think about migration patterns. The daily migration of workers on Sowton Industrial Estate became particular obvious to me during “The Birds of Sowton Industrial Estate” as it emptied of cars at the end of the working day. How do we make this migration pattern less harmful? How can we persuade people out of their cars and onto their bikes/feet?

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

"Listening to Silent Spring" at Mikrofest

Mikrofest was a free mini festival to launch Kaleider’s new home. I took the opportunity to trial an installation of "Listening to Silent Spring" in a couple of bird boxes in the building.

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

Woodwater plants

The house martins were gathering and sporting on the wing, prior to departure for warmer climes, and Mark Lane from Wilderness Guide kindly popped over to see what plants we could find in Woodwater Lane in September.

Environment

PechaKucha on "Green|Blue" at Greenbelt

For the second time, I was at Greenbelt giving a PechaKucha about my artwork. Last year it was about "Particulart". This year I was showing "Particulart" in the Allotment Shed gallery on Sunday, and my PechaKucha on Saturday was about my work and motivations more generally.

Making

"Heavitree Stone Regular"

Steven Bramble designed the alphabet. I turned it into the font used on all the Heavitree Quarry Trails outputs. I've made it available to download it for your own use too.

Place

FALAFELS

FALAFELS stands for Free Art Friday Exeter St Loyes Loves Anagrams. You have to think about it a bit!

Play

My favourite pie charts

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

Public Engagement

#ExeterClimateHope at "Think...Art"

Today, my "Little colouring books of climate mindfulness" popped up in the Exeter University Forum alongside "Green|Blue: Exe". I was doing a colour-by-numbers activity as part of "Think...Art", a day of free fun artistic activities linked to the University's research themes.

Science and Data

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.

Social Justice

An appeal to inner values

Clare Bryden. An appeal to inner values. Church Times, 30 August 2013.
Good causes will get further by emphasising their intrinsic worth rather than external rewards, argues Clare Bryden.