Nature is an artist, and we are nature.
This course invites you to nurture a deeper, more imaginative relationship with the living world.
Through the practice of Creative Ecology, we’ll explore how engaging creatively with the rest of life inspires ecological storytelling and stewardship, strengthens our sense of belonging to place, and fosters an Earth-centred way of living – now more necessary than ever.
With guidance from seasoned practitioners, including Robert Macfarlane, Mirella Salamé, Sam Lee and Charlotte Du Cann, a supportive group of creatives, and an embodied practice rooted in the elements, we’ll seek out ways to ‘express the Earth’ (Kenneth White) with sensitivity and attentiveness. By listening and responding to nature’s voices – from the hum of spring hedgerows to the rhythm of ocean waves – we’ll learn how creativity can help us attune to the life around us, discovering how:
Creativity nurtures a reciprocal relationship with the Earth
Ecological storytelling emerges from the interplay between inner and outer landscapes
Engaging with creativity as a lifeform in and of itself can reshape our environmental behaviours and values
Creative work can be a source of personal healing as well as have an impact on global issues
Guided by the principles of nature as a ‘conversational partner’ (David Whyte) and reality as a ‘creative wilderness’ (Andreas Weber), this course offers a transformative way to collaborate with the living world, and attends to the creative blocks some of us may face in communicating our ecological relationships in meaningful ways.
This is an immersive, hands-on course where you’ll learn to create art directly in cooperation with the world around you — utilizing the elements of fire, water, air, and earth — guided by professional artists and ecological thinkers.
You will learn to work with the living world as both inspiration and material. You’ll make pigments from earth, create art using seawater and beach-found objects, stack fire, write poetry, and engage in mimesis for dance & design inspired by weather, exploring how even microorganisms can shape visual and performance art.
This is not a course for passive learners. You’ll become a fire janitor. An apprentice of the trees and the wind. You’ll practice ecological storytelling with your whole body, in direct connection with your imagination.
With guidance from leading artists and practitioners — including Julie Brookes, Mirella Salamé, Sam Lee, and Charlotte Du Cann — you’ll engage in collaborative sessions that bring together art-making, ecological awareness, and embodied creativity. You’ll use the four elements to explore:
- Earth to make your own pigments and clay-based art
- Water to shape ink, write poetry, and explore coastal textures
- Air to craft sound, weather mimesis, movement, and voice-based practices
- Fire for stacking, ceremonial acts, and transformative creative rituals
And so much more!
Join us at the turn of spring for a deep dive into the imagination of life!
