An artist and former ecologist exploring how people will be creative in a future that looks increasingly bleak, but tinged with hope that it won't be.
My first career was in ecology, and I ended up specialising in beetle identification and taxonomy. I left a few years ago to explore my creative side which had been bubbling for a long time (probably more strongly than science now I look back) having realised I could make more of a difference in the arts than in the sciences now we live in a world where data/evidence doesn't sway decision-makers.
My visual arts practice focuses primarily on exploring the Anthropocene -- from using waste materials to imagining how people will be creative in a future that looks increasingly bleak, but tinged with hope that it won't be. This mixes with an interest in telling forgotten stories -- the histories of found objects, the interesting-but-untrumpeted corners of our built environment, the diversity that is all around. Joy and wonder wait to be discovered in unexpected places.
My writing and performance take a related approach, experimenting with the diversity of language, ecopoetics and vignettes of life that typically go unnoticed. I may no longer work on beetles, but diversity still enthralls me in all its forms.
Dave is one of our members featuring their work as part of the ClimateCultures Quarantine Connection series. We shared his piece, A Time for Shedding, on Day 19 of the 40-day series.
Dave's posts:
On Re-emergence and the Avoidance of Clichés