Background
My fascination with human perception, virtual worlds, altered states and the nature of consciousness began in my teenage years. I have memories of rushing downstairs to splash cold water on my face to bring me back to earth and sleep when the night-time contemplations became too much for my adolescent mind.
Hello Virtual Reality
As a kid, I learnt to code and became obsessed with the seemingly limitless possibilities of virtual reality technology, still in its infancy then but offering so much promise. After studying Computer Science and Advanced 3D graphics at Leeds Uni, my passion led me to co-found 3D production company, Inition, in Shoreditch, east London in 2001.
The 15 years I spent at Inition was an incredible period of my life. We specialised in creating immersive experiences that pushed emerging technologies to their limits – harnessing AR, VR, 3D, 360, haptics and all-manner of other bleeding-edge 3D technologies. As Creative Director I delivered hundreds of projects around the world, including many world firsts (see below) in a vast array of different industries. In 2016 I made the difficult decision to leave to pursue other (analogue) interests, 4 years after we sold the 30-strong business. I’m still in awe of the potential of VR but now very aware of the darker implications for humanity.
North Country Boy
Growing up in a farmhouse in the beautiful North York Moors National Park, a love of nature and the outdoors was instilled in me from an early age. I regularly head back to the moors where my parents still live in the house I grew up in and thankfully spent 6 months of lockdown there presenting an amazing opportunity for me to explore areas I hadn’t ventured before.
The village community which I was lucky enough to grow up in, is a tight-knit, resilient and supportive one. This was my ‘normal’ (that I dose up on every time I return there) and the reason community and deep connection to place are important to me wherever I am.
Exploring Metropolis, Moorland and Mind
By bike and by foot, I have explored the streets and green spaces of south-east London and the moorlands and valleys of The North York Moors extensively, always on the look-out for the obscure, overlooked, enigmatic, eccentric and eclectic places, people and ideas. My explorations into my mind started with meditation but led me to entheogens, kundalini (and other forms of) yoga, cold-exposure, breathwork and non-dual teachings, all of which I still practise regularly.
I am on the organising committee for the wonderful Breaking Convention, Europe’s largest conference on Psychedelics, held bi-annually at Greenwich University where I curate the Installation Art programme.
My work
My work draws on my strong connection and belonging to place, both in south-east London and Danby Dale, North Yorkshire. I enjoy exploring the play of perception and memory versus reality. I love creating outdoors, either through video and photography, site-specific interventions or using found materials, foraged mainly from the skips of south-east London and foreshore of the Thames in Greenwich.
One of my main projects, my outdoor allotment space, Plot 9, is a place to meet, create, to learn about growing food, nature and community. In its early stages, the idea is to create a beacon of off-line community and outdoor activity in London.