Mx.D.P
XD artist, writer, and digital curator.
Their work: Climate Chaos Cruise App, KindPinkNet, and The Abstracted Materialism Manifesto, reflects a commitment to building creative, resilient communities that can withstand geo-political climate chaos.
To envision: an inclusive society founded on creative kindness using the universal language of art.
Category: workshops
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Using Autoethnographic Abstracted Materialism, 2050:2100 weaponises art and collaboration to resist the void and establish a network of Creative Kindness. My work is driven by the impending Geopolitical Climate chaos of biome degradation, resource scarcity, mass migration and societal collapse. Using up precious resources, I asked A.I. when the Earth would become uninhabitable: ‘Predicting an…
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My art practice is THE NETWORK… The following 3 points summarise the three learning outcomes of my MA. I’ve been enabled to take a long hard conceptual look at the last 2 years… …the rest is all storytelling… 1. Realisation Over the course of my MA journey, I have developed a body of work that…
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I’m taking a back seat this year, I need to take care of MA business. I will be running a Sunset Painting Workshop on the Monday and I made a map for the events brouchure. There is a lot going on… One of my favourite bits is Grace and her Yellow Coats, who meet folks…
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A Reflective Examination of Autoethnographic Practice and Networked Creativity: Abstracted Materiality as a Queered Conceptual Practice. While collating the Unit 3 Assessment, I wondered why I intuitively chose to abstract materiality within my process practice? Why did I conceptualise the prioritisation of ideas over traditional materiality? In this blog post, I want to focus on…
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Trigger warning: Flashing images, themes of Climate Chaos, War, Death, Global Anihilation, Sex… sadly no rock and roll… some funky music though… A Massive Amount of Community Art Activism and fish… An Agender Penguin, a Non-binary Polar Bear and a Nasty Oily Orca… and a lot of Art… nice… https://youtu.be/dHpbdGRtDKk?si=HUTOS8h3SXGptsHl
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This will be an ongoing blog post about the Queer Curation course with the NODE Center in Berlin – sponsored by the SU- UAL. Wednesday 7th May. I’ve just had the first session of my NODE curation course on Zoom. I am in tears, it was so lovely. 23 people from around the world all…
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My short courses at the Node Center for Curatorial Studies start this week. Thanks to the SU- UAL for the Curation course. I can see how my Art Practice and art career are moving forward. BorthFfest (Elin says for Welsh accuracy there should be two Ff’s) part 2 kicks off on the 23rd -26th of…
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This workshop is designed for public art, creative connection and representation. It is available for anyone to run: The performance: Pink is made from many colours, including baby blue, to represent kindness and connection and black is an historic representation and pigment development of heteronormative colonial oppressive power structures. That pink can overcome the non-reflective…
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A social media art practice? Is there such a thing? Well, there is one if you are trying to make a global network! I ran a social media workshop looking at strategic approaches to social media for creatives on Saturday, the 12th of April; it was about democratising knowledge. I have begun to see my…
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My sketchbook exploration of 2050:2100 is going well. My physical pain is not going well; my sciatica has switched legs. How the f*ck does it do that!!! Thankfully, after years of being a long-haul airline pilot and high-altitude mountaineer, I can fall asleep anywhere… sadly I still wake up in pain; it’s not helping my…
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I got an email today. You know, the kind that makes your heart skip before you’ve even opened it. I was shortlisted; there were three places, and I was number 4! If you are confused and think this is the NTU PhD, no, this is an opportunity for an online course paid for by the…
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…the world is full of ableism, and this trip was all about that… I had a fantastic time at the low-res; even the aerobatic flip on Prof X out of the black cab and landing on my head didn’t dampen my spirits, although it did cut short the trip by a couple of days… you…
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The streets of Aberystwyth are alive with art, music, and community spirit as Gŵyl Cariad pilot festival transforms the Aberyswyth seaside town into a canvas of creativity. All though I am MIA I have been following the action and getting regular sit reps! As the first week draws to a close, the festival has already…
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What started as an idea to link creatives of the world to battle climate chaos, to give access to artists that would otherwise be marginalised and to make ‘Cool Shit Happen!’ Gwyl Cariad the ‘pilot’ festival is about to kick off! This week is installation week, and it’s been amazing watching the enthusiasm and excitement…
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It’s report-writing time now. The overall view is people need more information. They need clear guidance, and they are legitimately worried. Extreme weather has marred the two public in-person workshops, which is rather appropriate. The best experience for me was with young adults with delayed learning difficulties. In many ways, they were the most verbal…
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Well, it exists. It’s not up and running yet; tomorrow will be a test day. It took until mid-afternoon to find the top of the tripod connector…. After a lot of swearing, I remembered I’d used it on the 360 camera for the ‘Happens’ transmission… My tech assisted in taking my picture – one I…
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The Alfie and Neville collage is coming on a treat, and the great thing about Christmas is there is always lots of shiny waste… perfect for climate change instillations. I’m thinking the animation will be using the collage as digital cut-outs with a little AI for some of the groups characters! The collage is getting…
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I thought I’d reflect on the Miro feedback, I will listen to the what worked for me later… (with a box of tissues) Reading the Miro comments was fascinating because some of you understood my practice, and some didn’t! This means that, in real terms, I haven’t fully explained it. That’s pretty important for me!…
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I am writing this on my new iPad with a keyboard. I don’t like buying new tech; it’s not good for the planet, but it seems it is good for me. When my heart stalls, my touch screen doesn’t work… it thinks I am dead. Managing my enviroment is a day to day struggle. This…
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Learning Outcome 1: Where did this start? What happened? Where are we going?… I started in unit one with this diagram, and I’ve circled in red the areas that have changed. I acknowledged in the first unit assessment that my practice would change. My Art Practice is The Network. A network is rarely fixed; it…
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I went to a workshop run by Sue from Marmaladecat. It was all about printmaking and collaging into a concertina work. I had enjoyed the book-making/paper-folding at the low res, and I had taught concertina sketchbooks on the beach, which, along with collage and printmaking, seemed an ideal way to spend an afternoon. I, of…
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I am so chuffed to get the funding from the Welsh Assembly Government for the Climate Workshops. More paperwork to do! CIC bank accounts are interesting. I miss in-person banking! Supplies to make and order! Avocado stone ink, anyone! Climate week starts on the 11th of November, so I will be doing a social media…
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Big Wave is off to London (well me and ‘Betty’ the mobility scooter are) I’ve been asked to share my Exciting news! I’m thrilled to say that I’ve been awarded a bursary from the Arts Council of Wales to attend a digital marketing day hosted by the Arts Marketing Association at the BFI Southbank in…
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Well, the funding statement is in, so we will see what happens. Funding applications are hard work and take hours to prepare. I hope we get some funding but it won’t cover the cost of the online workshop camera rig and kit (more on that in future blogs no doubt) If I want to run…
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In summer, when we have one, I often paint outside on the beach. If I do workshops, the painting bench is used to work at or for a cuppa. The painting bench has a long history. It’s got to be 15 years old. The lads first made it from the Parachute Regiment because when they…
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Using the paintings I’ve been working on using the watercolour, ink and alcohol ink from recycled markers. I am developing a workshop for the Climate Conservation initiative in Wales and to launch the Gwyl Carrid – Festival of Love in Aberystwyth. The paintings: Tides of Love was my favourite so in Contemporary Dadaesque splendour I…
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A sentence from my PhD study statement says, ‘Crip theory rejects the normative medical model of ‘dis’-abled. Crips are disabled only as a result of societal barriers and attitudes.’ After Borthfest this year, we had a debrief and asked interested parties to come and say what worked and what didn’t. One of the fantastic folks…
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So, I got the finished tattoo art up in the studio… on the walls, the cupboard, the hallway and even the ceiling. After saying I would probably never tattoo any of these designs, a regular saw the boar and devil on the ceiling and has booked to have them tattooed on his sleeve in two…
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I’ve finished the animation for the workshop. I will tweak the timings once Clems has a look at how it fits in the PowerPoint. He’s on holiday now, so it will be in September when we get back to it. The festival meeting went well, and we have a name for the CIC Big Wave…
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This is an ongoing blog post, as we have yet to sit down and debrief formally. I need a complete analytical look at the social engagement figures, but on IG alone, we had 24,000 hits. The anecdotal response to the events was we attracted new people to Borth who had never been here before, and…
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BorthFest is the idea of Gallery Owner Sadie Everard. Severely injured in a car accident, Everard is in a wheelchair for life, unbowed she started her small contemporary gallery here in Borth. She has also asked the community of our strange art colony village to come together and make a Festival of Art… Ableism is…
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One of the stars of the Low Res was Alex Schady’s making workshop.. we have a archive of images and film from that day. What followed was the idea of making a short 1.30 film, the chat was how fun and entertaining the day was, as a cohort we thought any theme would exemplify that…
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According to the British Fashion Council, there are now enough clothes on the planet to dress the next six generations of humans, even taking into account population expansion. What that means is as we buy that new outfit, we contribute to the clothes mounting that charities can’t deal with. Third-world countries don’t want these clothes;…
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First will there be a future? Yes if we are brave and bold… The Earth will exceed 1.5c warming. The IPCC report says large parts of the Earth will become uninhabitable shortly. Which means mass migration, government instability, civil unrest and war. The climate is not only getting hotter, but it is becoming unstable. If…
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Well, by Mid-way through the interim exhibition/ low-res, I was laying in bed looking at videos my coursemate Madeline Kay had sent me… It’s all about pacing…this always was as much about logistics as art, about friendship and connection… about coping with physical disability and my ability/inability to look after my body… My minders have…
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I started running a series of workshops last year and will start up again in April. My home of Borth shuts down for winter. It is a storm beach, after all. There have been parties, but I’ve been head down in the studio rather than dancing on the tables… One of my art group’s requests…
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Learning Outcome 1: Formulate, describe and implement a challenging and self-directed programme of study, relating to your Study Statement.(Assessment Criteria: Enquiry) I formulated this program overlayed on the course calendar. It’s pretty full for the first 20 weeks because that’s what’s already or is about to happen. The rest of the units are deliberately vague……
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Title : Speculative Identities Examining the solutions for Climate Mindfulness through the lens of Gender Identity and its Intersectionality with Climate Chaos, Queer theory, Ableism and Emerging Technologies Aims and Objectives… I aim to develop new knowledge and affect change through the interplay of ironic materiality, social rendition and emerging technologies through my active…
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One person connected is the next link in the network… It is the possibility, the thought planted…If you are reading this, you are now part of the network… The mycelium network, in biological terms, refers to the underground network of fungal threads called mycelium. Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a…
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This is becoming a bit of a working document so I’ve put the link for the blog post about how this project started. https://dpmatthews.art.blog/2023/11/10/hu-cow-titty-milk-dairy-rebellion/ Kye Rowan is a Non-binary blogger who designed the non-binary pride flag in 2014 to symbolise individuals who identify beyond the traditional male/female binary. The flag colours are yellow to represent…
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The concept of plurality within the context of a Contemporary Dadaesque practice finally clarified the understanding of the intersectionality of Gender Identity, Ableism and Geo-political climate crisis. It’s important to note that the body doesn’t possess a gender, as gender and sex are not synonymous. Being outside the binary simply implies that the presented gender…
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Engage Engage with science; don’t be scared or anxious. Knowledge is power! We now know governments seemingly DON’T follow the science. But we can! Change in society always comes from the bottom and rises up! Did you know this is the first time methane has been discussed at COP! Fart A whopping 1/3 of…
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I spent the week in London, catching up with art friends, visiting Kusama at the Tate Modern and attending the Embodying Horizons event at the CCI: UAL run by the Feminist Internet in preparation for my co-hosting this week’s reading group today and next week. To say this last week has been seminal in…
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This is the first skeleton draft of my study statement, as a skeleton goes it has some sizeable bones missing. I’ve been continually editing this but I’ve stopped now and made a new duplicate document to work on for submission in February. Title : Speculative Identities – AI, VR and AR and its Intersectionality…
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There is a lovely little art gallery over the road from me, run by the irrepressible Sadie. We share a passion for sustainability and fairness in the world and art. It was there that I met Jessica Baudey the other week; she is about to run a printmaking workshop for the gallery in December. We…
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I have spent f*cking hours on this, and I bloody hate it… I thought I could ignore aesthetic sensibilities and know that the conceptual underpinning was sound… well I can’t!!! It looks sh*t, and I hate it! Why? An art practice is like a pianist practising their scales, right? Nope, not really, as you might…
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What is self-reflection? Artistic realisation? This week, I have cried with a fellow artist about the passions of art… I went to a student print exhibition and saw my old university mates, got drunk with my fellow artists and talked about art life… I listened to another disabled artist on my MA about their experiences;…
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Richard Reynolds of academic support, when talking about research reading, said sometimes you have to know when to let it go. The reading list you think you should have is probably the least interesting and beneficial to your research. He’s not wrong if you’ve already thought of it what’s new? I’d been telling people…
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When I came to write this post, I was looking at my notes from the last two weeks of workshops and our first course meet up. After my sketchbook work today, it was no longer possible for me to separate them into tidy chunks of information. They had already started to coalesce into their own…
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What a start to my MA, two weeks of academic workshops, then today meeting our fellow course members… we had breakout rooms and a chance to talk to our fellow course members. They are all so inspirational! From around the world U.K to N.Z. and with such diverse practices it is both exciting and challenging.…
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Summer is the perfect time for artists to explore their creativity and immerse themselves in new experiences. This is my new blog, but you can find my old blog at https://deematthewsart.blogspot.com/This summer, I have been fortunate enough to engage and expanded my skills but also connect with other artists and explore different mediums while still…
Mx.D.P 