A playground for bioregional innovation

The enquiry into the role of art + ecology within our work and within the bioregion, is filtering into our Creative Meet-ups and Sensing the Bioregion. a+e seems to have found a home there as a method for seeing differently and opening up possibilities. The original impetus for a+e came from the process that established The Saltmarsh Artist Collective - 6 artists working alongside 13 partners within The Saltmarsh Project.

Evolving from a report researched and written by BLC Associate Samson Hart, we are bringing the concept of a Bioregional Banquet into The Lab to move it from planning to ideation to producing. More than just a celebratory meal, within it will be a process for discussion, connecting and planning ahead. We will facilitate it so a pathway to action and a network emerges. Our role will be to hold the network in partnership with others.

Effective governance is essential for bioregional health. This category explores innovative models of collaboration, participatory decision-making and policies that align human systems with ecological realities.

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Restoring ecosystems is at the heart of creating a regenerative future. This category covers projects from saltmarsh restoration to urban green space regeneration, highlighting our efforts to repair and reconnect the vital natural systems that support biodiversity and community well-being.

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Sensing the Bioregion, is in The Lab! While we explore internally what this could entail from a BLC perspective, two strong tracks are emerging, 1) mapping in all its forms and 2) an enquiry: "How could the arts help to build a bioregional character/identity?" Sensing is a way to activate awareness and bridge to understanding, and has filtered into our Creative Meet-ups where it is already beginning to become a practice. The roots lie in our art+ecology research and experimentation.

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We have been unveiling facts, data, images and stories about the bioregion since BLC emerged back in 2017. It's how you reach people. Now, in The Lab, we are getting to know our bioregion better, starting by pooling all the ways we have envisioned or implemented to understand, explain, question, understand, sense or embody the bioregion.