What it was I did there

After four years of research and writing I’m happy to be able to share my thesis – a theoretical and practical exploration of the meaning of sustainability and the possibilities for envisioning and embodying a different kind of cultural narrative … Continued

Medicine stories, liberation and shifting allegiance – A conversation with Charlotte Du Cann

I first met Charlotte Du Cann at a Transition meeting in Norwich years before I bumped into her again at the Uncivilisation festival in 2011. And living in the same end of the country we have been meeting with the … Continued

Subverting the war of stories – A conversation with Vinay Gupta

Vinay Gupta is one of those hard-to-pin-down, hyper-productive people that seems to be everywhere once you start looking. The Hexayurt, a low-cost shelter made from plywood, is perhaps one of his best known projects – having found use in places … Continued

Unprogramming the apocalypse – A conversation with Steve Wheeler

Steve Wheeler is one of the people I’ve met who has been thinking about collapse for the longest and probably the deepest – I highly recommend his blog Steelweaver which contains some real gems of insight for anyone thinking about … Continued

Caught out of the corner of the eye – A conversation with Dougie Strang

Taking time out from busy organising at the last Uncivilisation festival, Dougie Strang shared some of his reflections on the Dark Mountain Project with me over a cup of coffee and breakfast. We delved into the role of art and … Continued

Looking backwards to see what happens next – A conversation with Alex Fradera

Having thought about improvisation as a central theme in my research, I was excited to find myself in conversation with Alex Fradera at last year’s Uncivilisation festival. Alex is an improvisational performer and psychologist who uses play and creativity as … Continued

Transforming stories. Sharon Blackie on the culture of nature

I first encountered writer and storyteller Sharon Blackie at the Uncivilisation festival back in 2011. She was telling about her experience of moving to the Hebrides, becoming a crofter and connecting with her new home. I’ve since found a trove … Continued

Serendipity, Edges and Dissolving Language-Armour – A Conversation with Cat Lupton

Last year around this time, I found myself responding to an invitation by Cat Lupton to contribute a piece to her new blog The Place Between Stories. That was the beginning of a longer conversation that has unwound itself into … Continued

Beyond isolation – A conversation with Tony Dias (Part III)

This is the third and final instalment of a longer dialogue with Tony Dias in which we develop some of the themes that emerged in the first and second parts.   TD: One of the things I have been realising … Continued

Suspending choice – A conversation with Tony Dias (Part II)

This is the second of a three-part conversation with writer & thinker-maker, Tony Dias, where we delve further into some of the issues that opened up in the first conversation. We share this conversation here in the spirit of gift … Continued

Finding community – A conversation with Tony Dias (Part I)

Last February I approached Tony Dias for an interview about his involvement in and thoughts about the Dark Mountain Project. This turned into a series of dialogues about his work and my own, a process of mutual sense-making. In this … Continued

Soul-making, wildness and the psychology of collapse – A conversation with Steve Thorp

When I came across Steve Thorp’s blog Psycho-Bubble last winter I found a style of writing that was both sincere and explorative, the kind of words that take you along with them and suggest new directions without telling you where … Continued

Getting to month one hundred – A conversation with Paul Kingsnorth

“This is like a movement of people who have seen the promises broken. You come through the other side of the development process and suddenly you’re facing being poorer than your parents. Environmental degradation, overcrowding, decline. It is just what … Continued

Uncivilisation, settlerism, metaphorising and jazz – A conversation with Andrew Taggart

In early February I called up the American philosopher Andrew Taggart in New York for the first of a series of interviews with people involved in or affiliated with the Dark Mountain Project. Having just started my fieldwork I didn’t … Continued

Beyond the parameters of the game – A conversation with Dougald Hine

Having had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend at the Dark Mountain Festival 2011 in Hampshire, I started thinking seriously about researching the Dark Mountain Project as part of my PhD. I spent much of the festival chatting to people about the … Continued

The Dark Mountain Project & Uncivilisation

Words and images can change minds, hearts, even the course of history. Their makers shape the stories people carry through their lives, unearth old ones and breathe them back to life, add new twists, point to unexpected endings. It is … Continued