We are back with a new episode of the Ecosystem Member podcast! Thank you for tuning in.
Our guests for this episode are Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey, who make up the incredible artist duo Ackroyd & Harvey. I first came across their work at the Dear Earth exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London (which also featured past guest Jenny Kendler) and as we discuss in the episode, re-engaged with their work through their Beuys’ Acorns project, which just had a major planting that we talk about at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich.
If this is the first time you are hearing about Ackroyd & Harvey, they are an internationally acclaimed artist duo that create work at the intersection of art, activism, architecture, biology, ecology and history. Their work often involves natural materials such grass and light - through a process called photographic photosynthesis - or the bones of a juvenile Minke Whale. Over their multi-decade collaboration with each other, nature, activists, scientists and other artists, their work has been shown at the Tate Modern and Royal Academy in London, The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, and Ballroom Marfa in Texas among dozens of other prestigious locations. In 2019, they also co-founded Culture Declares Emergency in response to the climate and ecological emergency.
The reason I titled this episode ‘Natural Collaboration’ is evident in the podcast. Over the years, Ackroyd & Harvey have created their own little ecosystem that evolves over time and brings into their circle not just nature and the more-than-human world, but other artists, scientists and activists of all stripes. It is a great example of the compelling conversations that can be had when we collaborate with others, especially as we face the climate crisis.
In this episode, we dig into their various collaborations and spend a lot of time on their photographic photosynthesis process, which happened almost by chance as you’ll hear about in the episode. We also talk about their connection to place and the challenge of working with living materials, including the more-than-human animals and creatures that find their way to the pieces. Our conversation comes to a close around the Beuys’ Acorns project, which has extended Joseph Beuys’ original 7,000 Oaks project over many more decades, helping it stay a point of discussion for new generations.
If you haven't subscribed to our newsletter and Substack, please visit ecosystemmember.com. On the homepage, you'll find a link to pages about all of our episodes, including this one, so you can see some of the work we discuss and find links to the rest. In addition to alerts about the latest podcast episodes, I'll occasionally send out a post profiling an artist I really enjoy or an exhibition I get the chance to attend, along with a rare opinion piece about what's going on in the worlds of art and nature. That is all at ecosystemmember.com.
Without further delay, here is the latest episode of the Ecosystem Member podcast with the artist duo Ackroyd & Harvey.
Links
Grass House by Ackroyd & Harvey
Ackroyd & Harvey Prints and Drawings for Sale
"Reclaiming the Commons Through Art" from Atmos featuring Ackroyd & Harvey
Photo Credit for Podcast Cover Art: Manuel Vason