A former Uist resident with strong connections to Taigh Chearsabhagh, New Zealand-based ecological artist Laura Donkers expands on her work and practice as she gets set to present her An Lanntair Artist Talk, online, on Friday March 19th…
“I’m an ecological arts professional specialising in strategic community engagement and behaviour change projects. My work promotes eco-mindfulness, mutuality, and kinship, to connect humans with the environment via the social context.
“A long-term resident of Uist, I began my art training at Taigh Chearsabhagh (North Uist) when classes first began there in 1998, and was part of the first cohort of BFA (Hons) graduating from UHI in 2011. Since then, I have attained an MFA in Art, Society, Publics, and a PhD in Contemporary Art Practice at DJCAD, University of Dundee.
“I have been fortunate to be selected for several awards, scholarships, and national and international residencies, and have exhibited widely over the last ten years. As a practice-led research artist with an expanded drawing practice, I get to know environments and communities through field research methods such as drawing, field-walking, and digital recording. I develop experiential learning around nature and culture, and how it feels to be in touch with environment, community, and self.
“My Artist Talk will be about my approach to researching and designing cultural programmes that encourage the public to ‘get out into nature’ as a way to transform perception and connection with ecology. I will also talk about how I collaborate with local communities and stakeholders to help promote ecological responsibility and sustainability using examples of my practice in Uist and more recently in Auckland NZ.”
