My latest project interrogates the theme of threatened species facing imminent extinction, and the challenge to arrest and restore biodiversity loss in the climate emergency we all face.
The Ark Project extends an invitation to each and every one of us to realize the increasing threat to nature at home and throughout the world, and to choose a species to ‘stand beside’ in an expression of concern and solidarity with all forms of natural life that face potential extinction.
Species chosen for the Ark – We Stand Beside project are represented in five metre wide pastel mural and some are depicted in alternative media – charcoal, pastel, etching, linocut and sketch.
First exhibited at The Barn, Banchory, Royal Deeside in Scotland in March/April 2026, the project and the work continues.
Originally the project was conceived in the lockdown days of the Covid pandemic in 2020. As they earth seemed to stand still, all manner of creatures began to show their faces no longer deterred by human hustle and bustle. But there were not as many as I remembered in my childhood. I was shocked to realise the full extent of the decline in species over the past 50 years detailed in the WWF Living Planet report. I couldn’t comprehend the lack of concern among many humans at the loss of three quarters of other ‘beings’ with which we share the planet.
The idea that we might face a purely technological future – a sterile world without nature and the ecosystems it supports – filled me with horror.
Recalling the ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh flood survival stories, echoed in the more familiar Biblical tale of Noah’s Ark, I began to imagine a 21st century ark and wondered what would be left to save in the future ark as insatiable demands for development, coupled with climate catastrophes threaten to decimate biodiversity if not make life impossible leading to extinction for many tens of thousands of creatures.
In 2024 I first met kindred spirits in the founders of the Oxford based non-profit I Stand Beside, and subsequently accepted their invitation to join them as a co-founder on a mission to inspire as many of us as possible to ‘stand beside’ the unseen and unheard creatures of our planet. The goal is to sew the seeds of a global movement for nature-positive culture and behaviour.
I seized the opportunity to express support by filling the Ark metaphorically with threatened species chosen and adopted by a diverse and growing range of people – from a few well known celebrities, scientists and all of us including children. Everyone is encouraged to register at the same time with the I Stand Beside (istandbeside.life) website where they can name their chosen species, write a few paragraphs about the reason for their choice, and be part of the growing momentum to do something to save threatened species and the planet.
The I Stand Beside initiative, now registered charity number 1217230, is spearheaded by Prof Nathalie Seddon, professor of biodiversity at Oxford University and eco-designer John-Paul Frazer. Developing a user-friendly interactive website, it aims to engage with everyone concerned with biodiversity loss and the need to take effective action immediately to protect all forms of life on earth.
Click on the logo below to go to the website:
