Nature’s Winter

An installation and exhibition at Windermere Jetty. Created in collaboration with communities around Lake Windermere, using stories about the elements and the weather to explore relationships with the local landscape. And to think about how this landscape is impacted by the climate and ecological crisis.

The Library Theatre Company

Between 2000 and  2012 I led the community and education programme for this producing theatre company. This allowed me to develop and solidify collaborative process over a long period of time, and to embed different projects and processes in communities across the city of Manchester. Most notably this was through the groundbreaking “norfox” young people’s theatre company, and though The Storybox Project – an pioneering storymaking project engaging and empowering people living with dementia alongside the people that supported them.

Climate. Emergency. Hope.

 I worked with the team at The Turnpike in Leigh to support and empower local young people to create their own exhibition that enable them to share their feelings about the climate and ecological crisis. A core group of six young people participated as curators / producers / artists, alongside the voices of around thirty other young people that were captured as part of the process. The project was recently showcased by The Art Fund as an example of best practice in community climate engagement.

Home – The Jinnah Centre

I worked with an Asian women’s group in Bury to create a short film that explored ideas around place, community and home. This was done through a series of participatory workshops as part of the Bury Art Museum “Cultural Champions” Project. We used participatory processes to find shared themes that we were interested to explore, then we used simple art making processes like creative writing, visual arts and photography to document and share our journey.

Other examples of Current / Recent Projects:

Permaculture Courses for Artists and Creatives – I convene a number of unique permaculture courses designed specifically with artists and creatives in mind. They explore how the ideas and tools at the heart of permaculture design can be used to deepen creative practice and to bring a new ethical basis to projects, particularly in relation to ecology, natural systems and regenerative cultures.

Mud and Culture – A zine about Permaculture, creativity and imagination. Aimed at folk who are inspired by Permaculture Design as a tool to create regenerative cultures.

Creative Roots – An online forum for artists and creatives that meets monthly to explore ideas around arts, imagination, creativity and Permaculture, and the way that these things can be used to develop regenerative cultures.

Love Springwater Park – I co-founded this grassroots project working to maintain and improve Springwater Park, a well used and well loved park in Whitefield, Bury. As part of the project I was instrumental in the park being officialy designated as a local nature reserve – the first to be declared in the town for over twenty years.

About Small Things Creative Projects

A social enterprise that believes art and imagination can create new ways of doing things, and help us envisage alternative futures. We work in ways which focus upon the development of healthy, adaptable and abundant communities.

Everything we do is grounded in the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share, and seeks to create space for connection, thinking and togetherness.

We are pioneers in the use of permaculture design to support and develop regenerative creative practice which is rooted in community and place.