My work ‘out there’ (outside of my home and studio) now quietens for the Summer. I have some lovely one day events and CPD sessions I’m facilitating in August, but apart from that, life can slow down for a bit. When I am doing my work with organisations and communities I need to interpret myContinue reading “A Rivery Mind / Thinking with Bridges”
Category Archives: James Aldridge – Writing
Queer River – five years on
I set up Queer River five years ago in 2020, as we emerged from lockdown, as a way to walk, talk and make with my local river, the Hampshire Avon, which begins its journey near my home in the Vale of Pewsey in mid Wiltshire. The original intention was to pay attention to the riverContinue reading “Queer River – five years on”
Noticing Differently: Rivers, Bodies and Beavers
Over the last year or so I developed a PhD proposal and then applied for a studentship to fund my research. The proposal focuses on my Neuroqueer Ecologies research and applies that to human/beaver relationships, in the re-making of rivers, and within the context of climate and biodiversity crises. Put very simply, Neuroqueer Ecologies isContinue reading “Noticing Differently: Rivers, Bodies and Beavers”
Blue Health with Wessex Archaeology: The Ripple Effect
‘The first six sessions of The Ripple Effect, Wessex Archaeology’s community building initiative with the Environment Agency, took place during June and July 2022. Each week we met at the Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre on the banks of the River Avon in Salisbury, to talk about our plans for that week’s session, recordContinue reading “Blue Health with Wessex Archaeology: The Ripple Effect”
Queer River, Wet Land – Recording of Online Sharing Event
I’m glad to be able to share this recording for those of you that were unable to make the Queer River, Wet Land sharing event last month, which took place as part of The Dear Green Bothy, with The University of Glasgow, What can queer perspectives bring to creative explorations of river health and riverContinue reading “Queer River, Wet Land – Recording of Online Sharing Event”
New Writing: Queer River and Creative Engagements with Ecologies of Place
‘Artist James Aldridge shares insights from Iain Biggs’ and Mary Modeen’s book Creative Engagements with Ecologies of Place and resonances with his own projects exploring the value of outsiders’ viewpoints and voices not often heard in discussions on the Earth Crisis’ Mark Goldthorpe, Climate Cultures Follow this link to have a read of this newContinue reading “New Writing: Queer River and Creative Engagements with Ecologies of Place”
Mermen, Otters and Bears
I’ve always had an interest in shapeshifting, in the ability to switch between bodily forms, or to exist as a human/animal hybrid. But I’d not really thought about it from a Queer perspective, so this post is very much a beginning. Of course, we are animals, and the animal/human divide is a false one. InContinue reading “Mermen, Otters and Bears”
The River is a Guide to the Land
Earlier this week I took a longer walk, from my home in the Vale of Pewsey, along the western arm of the upper reaches of the Salisbury Avon. I printed some images onto thick cartridge paper to create some Walking Pages to record my journey, and set out with the idea that I would lookContinue reading “The River is a Guide to the Land”
Thinking About ‘The Language of Place’
Since the First Friday event last week with art.earth, and my walk with Peter Reason before that, I’ve been thinking about the idea of a language (or many languages) of place. In the questions that came up during last Friday’s event, there were a few on sentience and panpsychism (more in relationship to Peter’s workContinue reading “Thinking About ‘The Language of Place’”
Beyond Rivers
As the Christmas holidays merge into lockdown here in the UK, I have started to return to making as a way of making-sense of where I am with this research. I’ve had a nagging feeling that sticking with ‘my’ River Avon is too restrictive, and another one tapping me on the shoulder to tell meContinue reading “Beyond Rivers”
Queer River 