STYLE | Art
Beyond the
biosphere
Sitting on the wa ll of The Bay: Tea m A rtecolog y on ta k ing their un ique blend of practica l conser vation a nd public engagement from their ‘bun ker’ Yaverla nd of f ice out to Brom ley a nd beyond
By Emma Elobeid P ictu re Ju l i a n Wi nslow
I
’ve come to the quietly unassuming headquarters of Artecology – a site where lichen is left to live and moss is allowed to multiply – to put faces to the force behind some of the Island’s most feelgood community festivals. From Under the Pier to Discovery Bay and Hullabaloo, bringing people and places together in nature is what Ian Boyd, Nigel George, and Claire Hector (collectively: Artecology) do best. Over a cup of tea, to the call of Casper the Lion and roar of resident sand martins, our conversation leaps from bug hotels to bigger things. “It’s great that you can walk down to the beach and dip your toes in the biosphere,” explains Nigel, with a nod to the blue beyond. But it’s also about understanding that biodiversity knows no borders, and
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the team are passionate advocates for the biosphere beyond the brand: “It’s important to remember that the biosphere extends so much further out into the sea,” explains Ian. “Yes, it’s parochial – and that’s a good thing – but the Island’s biosphere has leaked out into a whole area around it in a way that’s really quite extraordinary.” Much of Artecology’s work involves exporting their expertise; as a result, public realm and corporate clients from around the country are increasingly looking to the Island for advice on all things ecology. Over the last ten years Artecology have taken their Island-conceived biodiversity projects to a huge range of urban and built environments: from a giant bio-receptive sculpted graffiti wall in Newcastle city centre and
liveable green space landscapes in Southampton social housing estates to the installation of their awardwinning intertidal habitats along urbanised shorelines, from Gibraltar to Glasgow. Most recently, the Artecology team delivered Wild Glades, a two-day online family-focused festival themed around biodiversity and sustainability. Supported through interactive video content by a diverse range of Island contributors, the event centred around the transformation of a once-forgotten rooftop of The Glades – a shopping centre in the London Borough of Bromley – into a thriving wildlife haven. Collaboration comes easy to the Artecology team; it’s what they do. Claire explains: “There’s so much talent on the Island. It’s not all about Greta
