Jake Lever
Bardsey Island - the interconnection of all things
I recently spent a week on retreat, returning to the ancient pilgrimage island of Bardsey (Ynys Enli) off the rugged coast of Wales. Sometimes known as the island of twenty thousand saints, it was a major pilgrimage site in medieval times, and a place where many went to prepare for death. Bardsey is now home to a handful of people who live without electricity or wi-fi. It is what many would call a thin place, where the veil between this world and eternal reality appears imperceptible.
One of our group was a young scientist called Pete who led an inspirational conversation around the intersection of art, science and spirituality. He introduced us to the drawings of neural pathways created by the Nobel Prize winning scientist Santiago Ramon y Cajal. His beautiful drawings illustrating the “tree growth” of brain cells made in the early 1900s are still in use for educational purposes in the study of neuroscience. Everywhere on the island Cajal’s branching images of neural pathways were reflected in windswept trees, wild grasses and seaweed; the interconnectedness of all things was made vivid and compelling.
Jake Lever
Geographies of Hope - Mapping human connection in a time of pandemic
Geographies of Hope is an interdisciplinary, cross-institutional initiative aiming to move the narrative of geographical study towards hope for the future. The first conference was held at the University of Cambridge in 2019 and this year ‘s conference was held at UCL Department of Geography on 25 May. The event brought together an array of speakers from a diverse range of disciplines including artist-researchers Lucy Sabin and Dr Sabrina Chou, Professor Emma Mawdsley, writer Anita Sethi, architect John Christophers and myself.
In my presentation I outlined how I have engaged with the archetype of the boat in recent years, before discussing Do the Little Things, a global participatory postal project that I developed during the pandemic. The artwork sought to animate threads of human connection at a time when relationships were painfully compromised by social distancing, travel bans and the limitations of screen-based communication. Lastly I explored how art practice can generate hope through fostering human connection, highlighting our interdependence and inspiring us to be emotionally present to each other. I ended with the words of Clarissa Pinkola Estes which, although written 20 years ago, seem so apt for our times;
“One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires … causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these — to be fierce and to
show mercy toward others, both — are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.”
Gillian Lever
Studio Practice
I am loving this time of year. The light has been beautiful in May and I have been very active in the studio. The garden is always an inspiration, the the flowers are singing. I am excited to be developing some new paintings for exhibitions later in the year. More news to follow.
Jake Lever
Green Space Day - Education and the Climate Emergency: reimagining our future together
The climate crisis is the most significant threat to humanity we have ever faced. It is already impacting the lives, economies and neighbourhoods of millions of people globally and it is the defining social justice issue of our time. It is increasingly recognised that schools need to be at the forefront of responding to climate change, both in the way that they model sustainability and develop ‘climate literacy’ across all age ranges.
In my role as Assistant Professor and Subject Lead for Art and Design at Warwick University I have initiated and led ‘Green Space,’ an annual climate education conference for trainee teachers. This year Green Space Day, held on Monday 24th April, attracted 250 international delegates online with presentations by leading practitioners in the field as well as school pupils, including one veteran (aged 11) of COP26. More information and recordings of the presentations can be found on the Green Space webpage here.
Gillian Lever
Colour and Landscape
In recent weeks I have started a new series of oil paintings. Birmingham, where I live, is one of the greenest cities in Europe with over 600 publicly accessible parks and I walk in nature every day. In April I spent a week in North Devon where I walked some of its stunning coastal path. I am often influenced by the colours that I see on my walks but also like to work intuitively with colours that resonate with my emotional landscape.
Earlier this year I saw Jadé Fadojutimi’s exhibition ‘Can we see the colour green because we have a name for it?’ at The Hepworth Wakefield. In the exhibition catalogue interview she talks about colour’s capacity to affect mood or emotional state, something that I myself am fascinated by.
”I am increasingly aware of my dependence on colour to soothe my emotional spectrum. Colour leaves an imprint on our memory, even just moving around day today, the shifts in your environment can provoke a shift in mood or atmosphere. I’m interested in how the way we register or understand colour is cultivated within us over time; how if you grow up in a desert landscape you’ll have a higher colour sensitivity to browns and yellows compared to someone who was born in a city.”
Jadé Fadojutimi
