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

What can I do about the Climate Emergency? Part 4

Part of a series of articles for Exeter Cathedral’s monthly news. Coronavirus has changed much, but let's not forget we only have 8 months and counting to 'save the planet’.

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

“Live the questions now” 2019/20

Teaching on the Medical Humanities Special Studies Unit at Exeter Medical School, introducing fourth year students to conceptual and environmental art, looking at meaning-making and how we turn ideas into art, making art.

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

From wood to water

Yesterday, cycling down a section of Woodwater Lane, I noticed a corn cockle in the bank. It struck me that I have cycled down the lane many a time, walked down it occasionally, picked blackberries at that time of year, but I have never really paid attention to it.

Environment

Published Reports - Weather

Reports written as part of my work at the Met Office during 2000-01 on modelling and forecasting low cloud, that were subsequently released online.

Making

I made a trail!

When Steven Bramble suggested designing an alphabet of Heavitree Stone, I immediately thought of its potential use in an A-Z. I came across Placeify some years ago, powering Exeter University's Sculpture Tour, and the two things came together as an idea for a trail.

Place

Municipal-planting-rowan jelly

There's a rowan tree planted beside the bus stop on Grecian Way, and this autumn it's laden with bright red berries.

Play

"Particulart: Up in the Air" in the Glorious Art House

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, “Up in the Air” aimed to promote public awareness and provoke reflection on climate change and the underlying science, through appealing to different ways of accessing information – words and numbers, sight and touch – and enabling playful interaction.

Public Engagement

Press Release - "Freefall Youth Group to graffiti Phoenix with climate message during Art Week Exeter"

On 14th May, the route between the Exeter Phoenix arts centre and Exeter Library will be transformed, as the Freefall Youth Group wield spray cans and stencils to create a new graffiti artwork. The work, called Freefall Climate Graffiti, will feature maps of the UK showing how our climate could change in future decades.

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

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.