My Project Statement

Phil Barton 1 year ago

I am embarking on an extended piece of work focused on Lindow Moss near Wilmslow, a degraded raised peat bog which, until recently, was subject to mechanical peat extraction.  This has now ceased, and restoration of the bog commenced in February 2022.  In May this year I produced 30 experimental artworks exploring the history (natural and human).  My intention is to take the ideas and techniques explored in May and to produce a series of print-based work focused on interpreting and responding to Lindow Moss.  Alongside this, I expect to be continuing to develop my competencies and techniques in working with in situ plant and mineral materials and place derived data.

I intend to produce work for exhibition and public engagement in association with the 2024 40th anniversary of the discovery of Lindow Man. The project will involve both working on the Moss and with the people and natural processes associated with it.

The driver for my practice is the sixth great extinction ushering in the Anthroprocene Era crystalised by Gustav Metzger’s 2015 Worldwide Call for Action to Remember Nature

Based in Rusholme, Manchester, jointly with, and inspired by, my life partner Helena Kettleborough, I have established the Centre for Connected Practice and initiated Creative Rusholme.

My practice as an Eco Artist is rooted in a lifelong commitment to working with the natural and built environment by bringing together communities and organisations from all walks of life to take practical action.  Often working in particular places and incorporating material from those places in my work, I use print, lens-based media, installation, scientific evidence and appropriate techniques to foreground the assault both on our natural life support systems – trees, climate, ecosystems – and on the other-than-human who share this precious planet with us.

Websire: https://philbartonartist.c4cp.net                             Instagram: @PhilBxyz