I am a weaver of words, willow and wildness. My innate curiosity for how we connect with the world around us is expressed through the baskets I create, the articles that I write, and the projects that I pursue.
In 2016 I embarked on a Wild Year - sleeping outside for 365 nights in a row in an effort to find wildness in a land without wilderness. Bunking on friends' patios, camping at academic conferences and stringing hammocks between trees ensured that the year had a lasting impact. The story of the Wild Year has captivated audiences, and resulted in the publication of chapters in the Routledge Handbook of Rewilding and Rewilding in Nederland, the book Wild Jaar (Dutch) by Koen Arts and the TEDx talk Learning to Rewild.
This project instilled a deep recognition that theory and practice must go hand in hand. Essentially, to be a part of life, we need to relearn how to live.
My basketry practice is founded on this principle, and the workshops and presentations that I give offer space to connect with both the skills and the stories that are to be found within the weave. I currently guest lecture at Wageningen University (Netherlands) on the award-winning course ‘Relational ethnoecology’ and an ‘Introduction to relational ethnoecology: A craft-based approach’.
I continue to publish academically on human-nature relations in cross-disciplinary environmental research, as well as supporting projects in the development of deliverables and outputs for dissemination to a range of audiences. I enjoy working collaboratively and have been involved with a number of international movements inspiring change.