Richard also makes installations on commission, for festivals and for private clients. The majority of the time only natural resources are used as the aim is to show what is possible with nature's materials however occasionally sparse use of non-natural materials are used during construction.
Richard also sometimes create site specific installations using anything he finds in a location including non-natural materials such as rubbish washed up on beaches or industrial waste in places like quarries.
Richard also sometimes create site specific installations using anything he finds in a location including non-natural materials such as rubbish washed up on beaches or industrial waste in places like quarries.
Anti-litter Ad Campaign for Fylde Council, St Annes Beach, Lancashire, August 2021
In August 2021 I was commissioned by Fylde Council to help promote their anti litter campaign. Due to the global pandemic the beach resorts of Blackpool, Lytham St Annes and all along the Fylde coast ghad many more visitors than usual and we wanted to highlight in their minds the importance of looking after our environment and taking your litter home with you.
With the help of Julia Brooklyn and Justin Lyndsey-Noble I created a series of giant footprints, each of them 8m long and a total of 15 making the whole thing about 130m in length. And a couple of weeks later at the request of the council I drew a dolphin, 35 metres across, to draw attention to the impact littering has on the flora and fauna. Pods of dolphins are often seen off the coast where this was made on St Annes beach.
Thanks to Neal and Sophie of North Films who created the videos of each sand drawing.
With the help of Julia Brooklyn and Justin Lyndsey-Noble I created a series of giant footprints, each of them 8m long and a total of 15 making the whole thing about 130m in length. And a couple of weeks later at the request of the council I drew a dolphin, 35 metres across, to draw attention to the impact littering has on the flora and fauna. Pods of dolphins are often seen off the coast where this was made on St Annes beach.
Thanks to Neal and Sophie of North Films who created the videos of each sand drawing.
Nature Art Encounters at WeWonder Festival, Wentworth Woodhouse, nr Rotherham, Yorkshire July 2021
Two years after our first visit to Wentworth Woodhouse we were invited once again by James Brunt to join him for the Nature Art Encounters event, part of the WeWonder festival. James and I have been trying to explore collaboration opportunities and after a long Corona afffected haitus we finally had a good few days to explore working together.
Burberry Monogram installation - Newgale Beach, Pembrokeshire June 2021
As part of Burberry's Summer Monogram campaign I and three other environmental artists and friends: Jon Foreman, James Brunt and Mark Antony Haden Ford were commissioned to recreate the Burberry monogram on a beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. This was a significant challenge which involved many days of working with and learning about the tidal environment in order to be able to predictably create a large scale and spectacular pebble installation between tides on the day of the shoot.
Soon after we'd finished and with all the imagery and video in the bag the tide took away everything we created. We think we absolutely aced this project and are happy to report that we far exceeded the client's expectations. It was a great privilege to work closely with this very talented team, I don't think many others could have pulled this off!
Soon after we'd finished and with all the imagery and video in the bag the tide took away everything we created. We think we absolutely aced this project and are happy to report that we far exceeded the client's expectations. It was a great privilege to work closely with this very talented team, I don't think many others could have pulled this off!
'Seeds of Resilience' installation - Brockhole-on-Windermere, Cumbria April 2021
It's with great delight that I was commissioned to create this installation for the Lake District National Park Centre's 'Seeds of Resilience' project. After such a long period of difficulty for us all during these times of Covid I feel blessed to be out creating again.
This is a community engagement project and this installation will serve as a centrepoint, both literally and figuratively, to several community projects to follow over the next few months: cooking, gardening, growing vegetables and art projects amongst them with several local groups of different make ups. The sculpture represents a flower growing from the earth and 'Seeds of Resilience' is representative of developing well-being and nature connection among us all as we hopefully emerge from this global crisis.
The gap between the two woven circles has been filled with compost and seed bombs of meadow flowers that were created by children from a local school. Over the next few months everyone involved will bring their own ideas of how to change and evolve the sculpture and space around it. Ideas already being suggested include growing beans up the outer poles, creating terracotta seeds to plant around the flower, to design a garden around the sculpture that will grow and change during the summer months and much more.
I am really looking forward to how this will evolve over the next six months. At the end of the project in November the flower head will go to seed with a giant seed pod created within it and we will finish the project with an exhibition of all that we have done, culminating in a seed swap club where we all receive seeds from what we have grown ready for the next spring.
It is about 10 feet (3.3 meters) across and made from locally gathered slate and hazel, and willow.
This is a community engagement project and this installation will serve as a centrepoint, both literally and figuratively, to several community projects to follow over the next few months: cooking, gardening, growing vegetables and art projects amongst them with several local groups of different make ups. The sculpture represents a flower growing from the earth and 'Seeds of Resilience' is representative of developing well-being and nature connection among us all as we hopefully emerge from this global crisis.
The gap between the two woven circles has been filled with compost and seed bombs of meadow flowers that were created by children from a local school. Over the next few months everyone involved will bring their own ideas of how to change and evolve the sculpture and space around it. Ideas already being suggested include growing beans up the outer poles, creating terracotta seeds to plant around the flower, to design a garden around the sculpture that will grow and change during the summer months and much more.
I am really looking forward to how this will evolve over the next six months. At the end of the project in November the flower head will go to seed with a giant seed pod created within it and we will finish the project with an exhibition of all that we have done, culminating in a seed swap club where we all receive seeds from what we have grown ready for the next spring.
It is about 10 feet (3.3 meters) across and made from locally gathered slate and hazel, and willow.
This installation will be in in-situ from April to November 2021. The pictures above are from April just after it was complete. As the growing season continued potato plants started to come up through the sculpture as it was built upon an old kitchen garden. Also a path was added and a bed put in around its circumference. These pictures were taken in June.
My next visit was in late August and now the Kichen Garden was in full bloom and a-buzz with insects. Some of the seed bombs had germinated and flowers were growing around it along with aromatic sweet peas growing up the outside poles.
Llano Earth Art Festival 2020, Texas, USA
I was invited again to the sixth annual Llano Earth Art Festival in Texas, USA. I made several installations for this year's edition.
First was this made with willow and bamboo on a sand bank next to the Llano River, three separate structures over 20 feet high, interconnections between sky, riverbank and land.
First was this made with willow and bamboo on a sand bank next to the Llano River, three separate structures over 20 feet high, interconnections between sky, riverbank and land.
Here's a short film chronicling the creation of this installation over a few weeks in February and March.
James Brunt also attended this great festival and I created these three vertical spirals for him to make stone mosaics beneath.
Lynden Sculpture Garden 2020 - Milwaukee, USA
I was invited to spend two weeks at the Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee in January of 2020 to create work there and to attend
their annual winter festival. It snowed quite a bit and here is a selection of what he created.
their annual winter festival. It snowed quite a bit and here is a selection of what he created.
Upon arrival I created a walking spiral in the old snow that was already present and lined out the edges of the trough with sticks while I investigated where the ground was frozen. The next day it snowed and the spiral took on a new life over the next couple of weeks as it changed according to the prevailing conditions.
Land Sand Stone Festival September 2019 - Bridlington, UK
The first sand drawing I created on the first day of the festival.
First drawing is by Dutch sand artist Marcelo Van Es with mine next
A collaboration with Marcelo Van Es
#WeWonder Festival July 2019 - Wentworth Woodhouse, UK
A collaboration with James Brunt and Julia Brooklyn from reclaimed roofing slate from the stately home being refurbished.
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Another collaboration with James Brunt - exploring the intersection of our work literally and figuratively. Images copyright and courtesy of James Brunt.
Tracks 2018 - Llano Earth Art Festival, TEXAS, USA
Made from bamboo and sand collected from the locality and installed across a path to see what animal tracks it would capture each night. A camera trap in sculptural form.
There were numerous insect and arachnid tracks across it each day and on one occasion canine tracks. Perhaps a coyote, a fox or just a dog? We'll never know.
There were numerous insect and arachnid tracks across it each day and on one occasion canine tracks. Perhaps a coyote, a fox or just a dog? We'll never know.
Box Tree / Ring Tree 2018 - Llano Earth Art Festival, TEXAS, USA
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'Seek' - Lakes Alive Art Festival, KENDAL, CUMBRIA, UK
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Large scale wool and grass sculpture situated on a curving hillside so it couldn't be fully read without walking all the way around it.
Inspired by a passage written by Alfred Wainwright who did much to promote the Lake District as an area for walking, climbing and exploring.
“The fleeting hour of life of those who love the hills is quickly spent, but the hills are eternal. Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest; always there will be the exhilaration of the summits. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is still time will be blessed both in mind and body.”
Inspired by a passage written by Alfred Wainwright who did much to promote the Lake District as an area for walking, climbing and exploring.
“The fleeting hour of life of those who love the hills is quickly spent, but the hills are eternal. Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest; always there will be the exhilaration of the summits. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is still time will be blessed both in mind and body.”
Heard Through the Grapevine 2017 - Rachana Land Art Festival, Lebanon
Made for the Rachana Land Art Festival in Lebanon in 2017.
This was designed to be viewed by the visiting public during the closing ceremony following the festival. Many VIPs including the Lebanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and forty-six Ambassadors from around the world were present.
The sculpture was positioned so the sun would set behind it over the Mediterranean sea and for a 20 minute period around 7pm the light would gradually sweep across it illuminating the ephemeral details made from a variety of materials gathered from nearby including banana leaves, grapes, seed pods and a box made from lime tree leaves.
This was designed to be viewed by the visiting public during the closing ceremony following the festival. Many VIPs including the Lebanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and forty-six Ambassadors from around the world were present.
The sculpture was positioned so the sun would set behind it over the Mediterranean sea and for a 20 minute period around 7pm the light would gradually sweep across it illuminating the ephemeral details made from a variety of materials gathered from nearby including banana leaves, grapes, seed pods and a box made from lime tree leaves.
Splash Lawn - LOWGILL SCHOOL, LANCASHIRE
Power Hungry 2018 - MIDDLEBARROW QUARRY, CUMBRIA
Autumn Weave Flower 2017 - Boundary Way Project Residency - WOLVERHAMPTON, UK
Intersecting Cubes 2017 - Summer of Imagination Art Festival
DODDINGTON HALL, LINCOLN, UK
DODDINGTON HALL, LINCOLN, UK
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Grasmere Spirals - Private Client - GRASMERE, CUMBRIA
