‘My enquiry over many years into the ecological and social predicaments our culture finds itself in, our responses to them and how we shape a just and sustainable society, has led me to consider that at the heart of these issues lies a ‘crisis in our perception’. Behind the issues ‘out there’ in the world are issues ‘in here’ that somehow have separated us from a deep connection to ourselves, each other and the world. These issues are very entwined within us, but can be worked upon with careful attention. An expanded understanding of art and how it engages us can offer much to rebuild these lost connections. As an artist I am trying to find ways to draw attention to our disconnected ways of thinking, acting and living and to consider, explore and create more connected ways of understanding ourselves, each other and the world.’ 

Darren Jan Sutton is an artist, activist and builder with ecological persuasions. He has an MA in Social Sculpture and a BSc in Environmental Studies but has gained much of his education amongst the alternative cultural movements of the last 30 years. To him it is apparent that some very drastic changes need to take place in the way that humanity is living if climate crisis and its far reaching implications are to be prevented. He is investigating how we have got our culture into this situation in the first place and is developing a practice to engage in these changes. Understanding that the shape of our culture is an expression of the ways we think about ourselves, each other and the world, he has become aware that shaping cultural change is as much about working on our minds and perspectives as it is about transforming things out there in the world. He hopes to contribute to the both of these, helping us move beyond our culture of separation from ourselves, each other and the earth.