works by INSTAR
Arkade 2023
Coccolith
Inspired by the planktonic marine wildlife that 65 million years ago formed the foundations of the North Downs Way and Surrey Chalk Hills, this ‘Inspiring views’ commission is built using traditional dry-stone wall techniques, using a hand-picked selection of local ironstone rock excavated from the Titsey Estate together with ‘clunch’ chalk boulders. Presenting a contemporary contrast aesthetic, Coccolith is an interactive form and space of rest and contemplation, whilst as functioning a living sculpture, with planted wild flowers embedded along its circular ridge, and a space - overtime - for a diverse habitat of plant life, lichens, invertebrates, birds and mammal to reside. In ‘the round’ a set of internal 5 cantilever stone style-step seats are engraved with the planktonic life form illustrations alongside words Built Upon Time And Tide / Commissioners: Surrey Hills Arts National Landscapes, North Downs Way National Landscapes
Nothing Exists Alone
Nothing Exists Alone, delves into the intricate web of biodiversity, creating an interactive experience to highlight the interconnectedness of all living things. Presented as a series of 9 tall kiln-dried oak pillars, each façade engraved with adorning ‘elf cup’ coloured illustrations, this artwork invites the viewer to walk – in the round – to them, themselves, animate and connect a visual community ‘pack’ of running wolves. Sited within the heart of a re-wilding project at the National Trust in Wallington, Northumberland, Nothing Exists Alone is a large-scale lenticular art work, taking inspiration from conservation plans to reintroduce lost species at the estate and importantly in response to the founding Trevelyan family of Wallington, who advocated the exploration and discovery of nature and to encourage the ‘straying off the path’. Representative of the delicate balance of ecosystems and the impact of human activity on the natural world, this is a playful ecological narrative, is a viewer-led story, set within the depths of a woodland valley, alongside the Welbeck River / Commissioners: National Trust (Northumberland) Trust New Art
Arkade
Commissioned to explore the relationship between community and coastal environments, Arkade translates the nostalgic energy of coastal amusements into a multi-sensory, site-specific installation in Jaywick - Essex. Through an interplay of playful symbolism, light, colour, and sound, Arkade sensitively examines the resilience of coastal marine wildlife, the shifting ecologies they inhabit and the protective barriers both humans and nonhumans create to adapt and survive change. Reflecting on the transient nature of these spaces, Arkade embodies a surreal amusement experience which bridges human narratives and environmental flux, inviting audiences into an immersive sensory experience. This artwork importantly brought art into the centre of a community, launching at the Never Say Die public house function room situated alongside the seafront in Jaywick / Commissioners: Essex Arts & Cultural Fund & Arts Council England
LoudsPEAKer
LoudsPEAKer is a commission born from the imperative need to expose the often-hidden interventions of nature conservation surrounding the plateaux of Kinder Scout, the highest summit in the Peak District, Derbyshire. Steeped in historical ‘mass trespass’ movement in LoudsPEAKer focussed on co-production of new art with inner-city teenagers living in Sheffield. Featuring as part of a national commissioning programme for The National Trust’s ‘People’s Landscapes’, curated alongside Jeremy Deller and Jarvis Cocker, LoudsPEAKer, amplified the importance of exploration, nature connectedness, conservation and access to landscapes. By bringing together diverse narratives through workshops and collaborative artistic processes, LoudsPEAKer transforms individual stories into a unified expression of resilience and connection, leaving an enduring legacy through mediums including visual art, graphic illustration, textiles and contemporary photography / Commissioners: National Trust (Peak District) & Trust New Art (People’s Landscapes)
This Is Here / You Are Here
This Is Here You Are Here is a site-specific installation of temporary paste-up billboard sculptures, vibrantly adorning streets and spaces in Colchester, Essex. Re-wilding the streets with nature, this co-produced artwork represents the diversity of nature in our urban spaces, exposing the rights for wildlife to exist, thrive and flourish alongside us. Giving voice to our non-human neighbours, these artworks played with relief print, digital illustration and spoken word to creates a vibrant and powerful dialogue of a town’s inhabitants, and importantly to expose the wonder of local diversity, to give it notice and to repurpose the use of the traditional space for advertising to rejuvenate and inspire change. Alongside a programme of relief pop up printmaking with Firstsite (YAK) young people, The Outhouse and Level Best, and a billboard exhibition of co-produced work, 100’s of riso-graph prints were gifted to community audiences via touring bicycle events across the town / Commissioners: Essex Cultural Diversity Project & National Trust (Essex)
Infinity Forest
Infinity Forest presents as an outdoor sculptural artwork, seeking to expand horizons and viewpoints of a wilder future. At its root, this playful and illusionary artwork, represents the power and empowerment of a singular action to aid nature. With a planted Scots Pine tree sited within an interior of a towering prism of mirrored walls – a large kaleidoscope - Infinity Forest is not what it appears from it exterior - a crafted wooden, natural form, adorned with hand painted stained native leaf formations, sited within a manicured wild meadow area of a country park in Essex. Upon peeking through viewing holes, a powerful sense of opportunity and ambition is generated. Like a sparkling treasure chest of what appears to be an everlasting canopy, the visual interior is extraordinary in wonder of wildness. Representative of the impact of planting just one tree, Infinity Forest explores themes of imagination, contribution and restoration / Commissioners: Essex Arts & Culture, Essex Forest Initiative
OFFLINE
In a world dominated by digital connectivity, OFFLINE delves into the interplay between disconnection and reconnection through a striking series of 16 risograph prints. This collection offers a visual narrative, drawing parallels between the intricate networks of nature and the interconnected ecosystems of the digital world - the "non-wild web."OFFLINE presents a brave new future where we are as plugged into nature as we are technology. Each piece in the series fuses a monochromatic, hand-drawn depiction of a species with bold graphic text, creating a visual dialogue between the organic and the digital. The juxtaposition of nature-inspired imagery and technology terminology reflects the evolving relationship between the two realms. Accompanying interpretive prose deepens the narrative, serving as a bridge between the artwork and its audience, OFFLINE invites viewers to rethink the ways we connect - with nature / Commissioners: The National Forest
Bellwether
Bellwether was an 18-month immersive exploration of visual art, nature, and identity across Northumberland’s coastal landscapes. Rooted in collaboration, the project brought together over 25 local residents as a new collective movement, to examine the deep connections between people, place, and ecological heritage. Through this process, five Wildlife Gangs emerged - each a creative force, championing local species and habitats through the art they create and collective action. Creative journaling, printmaking, and conservation-led inquiry shaped a bold new visual language. Each gang developed unique iconography, transformed into biker-style back patches – symbols of allegiance to their landscapes – adorned (sewn), worn and photographed within the places of wild local significance. A series of contemporary photographs and visual artworks and curated artefacts culminated in a co-curated exhibition at Woodhorn Museum, revealing the lasting connections formed between community, creativity, and the wildness of Northumberland / Commissioners: Northumberland Museums Service (bait), Creative People and Places
Arteria
Inspired by ‘The Interconnectedness Of Everything’, Arteria delves into a multiverse of networks and symbolism, intertwining and flowing between the natural world and culture. Situated at Calke Abbey (National Trust), this commission responded to both the wilder habitats of the National Nature Reserve as well as the eclectic natural science collection and un-stately curation of the house. A series of prints represented simple, yet profound, narratives and interconnectedness, exhibited as part of a roving cycling tour exploring the grounds, bringing stories and symbolism to wider audiences and visitors / Commissioners: National Trust (Calke Abbey) and The National Forest
Subumbrellar
Inspired by the fluid biomechanics of jellyfish, The Subumbrellar is a kinetic installation that embodies the vortex dynamics of this enigmatic marine species. In contrast to the organic translucency of its natural counterpart, The Subumbrellar is a skeletal construct - an engineered interpretation of movement - brought to life through an intricate assembly of cogs, steel components, bolts, and a motor. Designed to elevate the often-overlooked essence of motion in jellyfish, this piece transforms the stillness of museum and gallery spaces into a space of perpetual flow. Its mechanised pulse mirrors the delicate yet powerful propulsion that defines the species - creating an immersive, hypnotic presence that oscillates between precision and fragility. The Subumbrellar does not merely imitate form; it evolves it, shifting focus to movement as the defining force of life within these extraordinary marine organisms. / Commissioners: Festival of Science and Curiosity
Skate Of Nature
A raw, electrified collision of street culture, activism, and environmental urgency, Skate of Nature transformed Nottingham city centre into an ultraviolet, reimagined playground for Light Night. This temporary skate park pulsed with energy - its concrete surfaces pasted with a striking mosaic of twenty original posters, translating the stark realities of the State of Nature Report into a visual language that hit hard and spoke loud. Bathed in UV light, a prowling green wolf - symbol of wilderness, resilience, and rebellion - loomed large, a glowing call to action. A reference to Aldo Leopold, the father of wildlife ecology, it embodied his call for an ethical, reciprocal relationship between people and nature. Here, on the ramps and rails, that philosophy took form: a space redefined by movement, by youth culture, by those who push limits and shape futures. Beyond an installation, Skate of Nature was an act of reinvention - turning concrete into canvas, skate culture into activism, and dry statistics into something unmissable. A bold declaration that urban spaces are alive, fluid, and in the hands of those who dare to reclaim them / Commissioners: Nottingham City Council Arts (Light Night) & Arts Council England
Reynard
Woven into the fabric of Tarporley’s high street and its surrounding landscape, Reynard is a series of five contemporary public artworks inspired by the fox - an emblem of resilience, adaptation, and quiet guardianship of the land. Commissioned to shape a cultural legacy for the village, the works seamlessly integrate with existing street infrastructure, subtly guiding visitors beyond the centre and towards the sandstone trail. At its heart stands The Fox Fir Tree, a kinetic sculpture by international artist Martin Smith - its delicate movement echoing the flicker of a fox’s tail disappearing into the wild. Elsewhere, interventions respond to the rhythms of daily life, embedding art into unexpected encounters. Our bespoke manhole cover, Reynard, transforms an underfoot functional feature into the poetic - a sleeping fox etched into the street, waiting to be discovered, its form doubling as an interactive printmaking surface. As lead artists and commissioners, the project was curated with a deep sensitivity to place, supporting the local parish council’s vision of fostering connection - both between people and their environment, and between contemporary art and the heritage of the village. More than a public art trail, Reynard is a quiet call to notice, to care, and to reimagine our relationship with the wildlife that inhabits the spaces we share / Commissioners: Cheshire West Council
Hide In Plain Sight
Embedded within the landscape of Skylarks Nature Reserve, Hide in Plain Sight reimagines a simple five-bar gate as a sculptural threshold—both a conservation grazing barrier and a contemplative viewing screen. Crafted from oak and steel, its form is punctuated with text and quotations, fragments of collective thought gathered from the local community. More than a point of passage, this artwork invites quiet observation. Strategically placed apertures frame the wetland’s shifting light and movement, offering an intimate, uninterrupted encounter with the reserve’s delicate ecology. Hide in Plain Sight serves as both a marker of human presence and a means of gentle retreat - allowing visitors to witness without intrusion, standing at the threshold between seen and unseen / Commissioners: Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (National Heritage Lottery Fund)
BAT
Set within the shadowed architecture of a repurposed stable block - beneath the silent roost of a colony of Long-eared bats - BAT was an immersive, multidisciplinary exhibition exploring the cultural, scientific, and ecological significance of these elusive creatures. A collaboration between national and international artists and scientists, BAT wove together diverse interpretations of bat ecology, guiding visitors through a luminous spectrum of blue - twilight dissolving into darkness. Long-exposure photography and moving image traced the ephemeral flight signatures of different bat species, transforming their rapid, intricate movements into ghostly, luminous arcs. Interactive sonic sculptures translated echolocation into tangible form, allowing visitors to engage with the hidden language of bats. Alongside these contemporary interventions, specimens, skulls, digital media, and historical illustrations mapped the intersections of science and art - offering both an archive and an evolving vision. Beyond the exhibition, a curated public programme of talks, workshops, and guided tours extended the experience - bringing together leading voices in bat conservation, art, and science / Commissioners: Nottingham Museums and Galleries
Thereby Hangs a Tail
Thereby Hangs a Tail transformed the traditional museum experience - peeling back the barriers between visitor and specimen to create an encounter both intimate and unfiltered. Over thirty heritage specimens from one of the UK’s largest natural history collections at Wollaton Hall were liberated from their glass cases, placed within a dramatically darkened space, illuminated only by precise spot lighting. This theatrical approach pulled each species from obscurity, casting them into focus and revealing their fragility in a world where many face the brink of extinction. By stripping away traditional display constraints, the exhibition invited deep curiosity - an unmediated, almost reverential connection to these preserved beings. Shadows played against light, heightening both presence and absence, drawing attention to the delicate balance between wonder and loss. A dedicated taxidermy workshop, led by renowned restorer Chris Orgil, further bridged art and science, allowing visitors to engage with the craft of preservation and the narratives embedded in these forms. A space of transformation, exposure, and reflection - Thereby Hangs a Tail was both a celebration and a quiet reckoning with nature’s past, present, and uncertain future / Commissioners: Nottingham Museums and Galleries
Branching Points
Carefully placed within the landscape of Skylarks Nature Reserve, Branching Points are five sculptural interventions designed to instill a profound sense of place—rooting visitors not just in the reserve, but within the vast, interconnected ecosystem of the planet itself. Standing at each location, visitors are invited to consider their presence as part of the landscape, not separate from it. Constructed from CorTen steel, these structures evolve with time, their surfaces weathering into a rich rust-orange patina that blends with the shifting seasons of the reserve. More than sculptures, they integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure—bridges, fences, platforms, and viewing screens—transforming these functional spaces into quiet moments of reflection. Each Branching Point is inscribed with its precise grid reference, fixing it in both place and time, while a recorded list of species reveals the intricate biodiversity at that very spot. Interwoven with the words of poets, scientists, conservationists, and designers, each installation carries a resonant quote—offering a moment of contemplation, a shift in perspective. Here, nature is not just observed, but felt. Branching Points are not simply markers in the landscape; they are invitations to recognize, with clarity, our place within it / Commissioners: Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Alter
Commissioned as part of the National Trust’s People’s Landscapes and embedded within the Be Kinder cultural art trail – a trail curated Jarvis Cocker and Jeremy Deller - Alter transformed the quiet chapel at Barber Booth (Edale) into a space of luminous contemplation. Five proud pillars each showcasing bespoke light light-work, drawn from the iconography of the Spirit of Kinder project, stood collectively as modern altars to the landscape - each glowing with the words LOVE, ACCESS, VOICE, CARE, and DISCOVERY of Kinder Scout in the Dark Peak. Their radiance punctuated the chapel’s stillness, casting shifting patterns of light that invited walkers of the trail to pause, sit upon the pews, and reflect. The installation responded to the heritage of the building with sensitivity, while simultaneously asserting its presence - turning a place of worship into an unexpected sanctuary for land, protest, and the enduring human connection to nature. Alter was not simply an artwork but an experience - a beacon in lower light, asking visitors to pause and contemplate the landscape they traverse and the responsibility they hold in protecting it / Commissioners: The National Trust (Trust New Art)
Anamorphic Inverts
Larger than life yet intimately engaging, Anamorphic Inverts transformed the landscape of the National Forest TIMBER Festival 2019 into a striking, interactive trail - an invitation to step inside the hidden world of insects. These monumental sculptures punctuated the festival space, commanding attention while drawing visitors into a kinetic, sensory encounter with the creatures that quietly sustain our ecosystems. Designed as fragmented forms, each sculpture required movement and perspective to align - festival-goers became part of the artwork, shifting their position to reveal the complete forms of an Elephant Hawk-moth, Rhinoceros Beetle, Common Honey Bee, Common Wasp, and Field Grasshopper. By weaving between and standing amongst these towering invertebrates, visitors were not just spectators but participants—immersed in the scale, fragility, and intricate beauty of species often overlooked. Beyond their physical presence, the sculptures activated a collective response. Visitors were encouraged to document and share their interactions, contributing to a large-scale collaborative mosaic assembled in real time during the festival. Blending art, ecology, and public engagement, Anamorphic Inverts reconfigured perception—inviting audiences to step closer, realign, and reimagine their relationship with the smallest architects of the natural world / Commissioners: The National Forest (Timber Festival)
Wildlife of Wollaton
A vibrant and immersive exploration of local biodiversity, Wildlife of Wollaton is a permanent exhibition that reimagines Nottingham Natural History Museum’s collections through a contemporary, design-led lens. Curated with precision, each specimen was hand-selected, restored, and positioned with intent - centring wildlife at the heart of the visitor experience. Set within the converted stable block at Wollaton Hall, the exhibition unfolds in a dynamic spectrum of colour, inspired by the shifting hues of nature throughout the seasons. Illustration plays a vital role in this reimagined space. Commissioned artworks form a rich visual backdrop, layering scientific accuracy with artistic expression, while contemporary interpretation invites audiences to engage with the wildlife that thrives within Wollaton Park’s historic landscape. Welcoming over 100,000 visitors annually, Wildlife of Wollaton is more than an exhibition; it is an evolving learning space, bridging art, science, and conservation. As part of the Real World Science programme, led by the Natural History Museum London, it provides an inspiring resource for schools and groups—transforming the way we see, understand, and connect with the natural world / Commissioners: Nottingham Museums and Galleries / London Natural History Museum
Spirit of Kinder
Worn as emblems of identity, rebellion, and belonging, the humble embroidered patch has long carried cultural significance—stitched onto the jackets of scouts, soldiers, bikers, and activists, each thread a symbol of allegiance, achievement, or defiance. Spirit of Kinder reimagines this tradition as a contemporary act of expression, created in response to the annual Spirit of Kinder event and the enduring legacy of the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass. Through bold, tactile design, this project gave form to the voices of over 80 local people, distilling their deep connection to the landscape into vibrant, wearable icons. Five limited-edition backpack patches - LOVE, ACCESS, VOICE, DISCOVERY, and CARE - became portable declarations of rights and reverence, stitched into everyday journeys. Their designs were further amplified, transformed into large-scale flags that moved beyond the personal, carried in pilgrimage as symbols of unity, protest, and celebration. Both intimate and collective, Spirit of Kinder bridged past and present, craft and activism, standing as a defiant act of remembrance and a bold vision for the future of access, land, and identity / Commissioners: The National Trust (Peak District)
Back to Life
A fusion of natural science, contemporary art, and speculative museology, Back to Life reimagined the future of Nottingham’s Natural History Museum through an immersive, participatory installation. Designed as a pop-up curatorial studio, this bold, interactive space invited visitors to step into the role of curator - challenging conventional exhibition formats and envisioning new ways of experiencing art, nature, and scientific heritage. Adorned with vibrant provocations and speculative ideas, the space became a living experiment in exhibition-making. Over 1,000 visitors engaged in hands-on exploration - assembling their own collections, experimenting with colour, theme, and taxonomy, and handling specimens up close. As part of Project Lab, the installation transformed a corner of the museum into a curiosity-driven research facility, featuring rarely seen artefacts, specimen trays, and taxidermy alongside a curated vintage and contemporary reference library. A dedicated research zone, equipped with microscopes, illustration spaces, and creative prompts, blurred the boundaries between museum, laboratory, and artist’s studio - bringing collections back to life through active participation, wonder, and play / Commissioners: Nottingham Museums and Galleries