News

We’re beyond proud that the students from our PAGE 2 Art Walk Project (eco-art science workshops) will have their work displayed at Portobello Library, as part of this year’s Art Walk Porty Festival. Ecollaborate will open for preview on Friday 25 August, 1pm-3pm (free tickets here), then run from 26 August until 10 September (full details below).

The course was run in collaboration with Art Walk Porty, with the tutoring skills of artist Scott Hunter and scientist Keira Tucker (of ASCUS Art & Science). It incorporated group art walks foraging for plant samples, as well as studio and laboratory time, aiming to teach new skills, reduce isolation and improve wellbeing in participants.

Over a nine-week period, the students experimented with alternative methods of developing/creating photographs using plants, bacteria, and fungi – cyanotypes, chemigrams, phytograms, soil chromatographs, microscopy, and more. The exhibition will display these plant-processed photographs, alongside petri dish experiments and a number of the processes involved.

Scott Hunter, Course Tutor, says:
‘I found teaching the Ecollaborate programme to be immensely rewarding. Interacting with such motivated and resilient individuals inspired me to give my best, and I am grateful to have played a role in their journey toward personal and professional growth. It was heartwarming to see the positive impact the program had on the participants. Not only did it equip them with new skills, but working collectively also boosted their wellbeing, confidence and self-belief.‘

Keira Tucker, Course Tutor, says:
‘Through our ASCUS lab facility we are able to offer participants a unique experience that helps nurture thinking from new perspectives, introduces new skills and gives participants an opportunity to do something completely new. I was thrilled to be involved in the delivery of this programme. I might have been seen as a tutor, but I learnt so much by being a part of this programme, particularly seeing the impact we have had on the students’ mental health, meeting new people, getting out the house and learning new concepts and skills.’

Student feedback: