Should I Receive, The Dover Prize bursary, it would allow me to develop Ephemeral Landscapes—a new body of work that deepens my exploration of the relationship between nature, memory, and community. The project will engage directly with local residents through foraging walks and storytelling sessions, using gathered flora to create natural pigments and biodegradable materials for site-specific installations in and around Darlington.
The funding would support:
Research into the local ecology and historical uses of plants in the area.
Community workshops and foraging events to share skills and knowledge.
Production of ephemeral artworks made with handmade pigments and organic materials, this could include learning to use Kombucha Scobies as material too.
Documentation of the process through photography, writing, and potentially film, culminating in a publication or exhibition.
This award represents a vital opportunity to expand the participatory aspect of my practice, moving beyond solitary studio work into a more collaborative and publicly engaged model. It also supports my transition toward zero-waste methodologies by allowing me to invest in sustainable materials and equipment.
Grounding my practice in environmental ethics and community interaction, this project will allow me to explore impermanence not just conceptually, but materially, challenging the traditional expectations of permanence and ownership in art. The experience will also inform future residencies and workshops, placing socially and ecologically engaged art at the heart of my career.
Ultimately, the award will not only allow me to create ambitious new work but will also reinforce my commitment to making art that is ethical, inclusive, and rooted in place.
My proposed project will offer Darlington a unique, community-driven exploration of local identity and ecology. By working with residents to forage and create natural materials, Ephemeral Landscapes becomes a shared act of creativity, reconnecting people with their surroundings while reviving traditional knowledge of plants and place.
The use of alternative, sustainable materials will challenge public perceptions of what art can be, making the work accessible and thought-provoking across different audiences. Temporary installations in public or unconventional spaces will invite curiosity and conversation, raising the visibility of creative activity beyond formal gallery settings.
Involving local participants in every stage, from gathering materials to constructing the artworks, fosters a sense of ownership and belonging, particularly among those who may not usually engage with contemporary art. This grassroots approach aligns with Darlington’s cultural heritage while offering a fresh, forward-looking model of artistic collaboration.
Through workshops, documentation, and potential partnerships with local organisations or schools, the project aims to leave a lasting creative legacy and strengthen Darlington’s identity as a hub for innovative, socially engaged art.
My practice explores the complex and often fragile relationship between humans and the natural world, with a focus on sustainability, material transformation, and the politics of memory. I work across drawing, sculpture, installation, and socially engaged projects, frequently using materials I forage, grow, or repurpose, such as plant-based pigments, clay, and Kombucha Scoby. This approach reflects a deep commitment to ecological awareness and a desire to reconnect with overlooked, often feminine-coded histories of craft, land, and healing.
Originally trained in traditional fine art techniques, my work has evolved in response to growing concerns about climate change and material waste. Over the past five years, I have shifted my practice to foreground environmental responsibility and community participation. Foraging has become both a practical method and a form of embodied research; each pigment or material carries with it a story of place, seasonality, and connection.
Recent exhibitions include Interventions series – temporal, sculptural works created in collaboration with the Environment & local communities. which featured my plant-dyed drawings on Scoby surfaces, exploring grief and ecological impermanence. I also participate in a monthly foraging performance via Zoom with artist Amanda Couch. More recently, my work has become temporary site-responsive installations using locally foraged materials.
In addition to exhibiting, I am co-founder and editor of Haus-a-rest, an online art zine dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in contemporary art. Through this platform, I collaborate with writers, theorists, and artists from across the globe, curating themed issues that investigate intersectional and ecological concerns.
My work is often developed outside of conventional gallery systems, exhibited in outdoor environments, community spaces, or as part of collaborative projects. I am particularly interested in how art can foster intimacy with the land and act as a quiet form of resistance against extractive, capitalist systems.
Through residencies, workshops, and participatory events, I aim to create art experiences that are inclusive, tactile, and rooted in place. I view art as a process of mutual exchange between artist, audience, and environment, and strive to make work that is not only visually compelling but also socially and ecologically meaningful.
Yes, I hold a BA 1:1(Hons) in Fine Art from the University of Fine Arts Farnham, where I developed a strong foundation in drawing, sculpture, and installation. During my time there, I began to explore themes of landscape, industry, and feminist theory and materiality; these are interests that continue to shape my practice today.
Following my undergraduate studies, I pursued an MLitt in Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art. This postgraduate course enabled me to experiment more conceptually with process-based and interdisciplinary approaches, particularly in relation to environmental themes and feminist theory. It was during this period that I began incorporating sustainable materials and natural processes into my work, laying the groundwork for the eco-conscious direction my practice has since taken.
Both degrees provided invaluable critical frameworks, technical skills, and curatorial experience, which continue to inform how I engage with materials, audiences, and collaborative projects. They also nurtured my interest in socially engaged art and non-traditional exhibition formats, elements that are now central to my practice
Yes, I have received several professional grants that have supported the development of my artistic practice and community-focused projects.
In 2022, I was awarded a micro-commission from The Basement Gallery, which funded a research-based project exploring Trees, seeds, and rituals using local plant life. The project culminated in a small public presentation and informal workshop, which introduced participants to sustainable art-making techniques.
I also received a Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant from Arts Council England in 2021. This funding allowed me to deepen my knowledge of foraging, fermentation, and biodegradable materials. As part of the grant, I worked with a range of mentors and ecological artists, which significantly expanded the conceptual and technical scope of my work.
In addition, I have received smaller project-based funding from local arts organisations, including Pulborough council, to instigate a creative allotment Project, to support community-based collaborations. I have been shortlisted for several art awards, including “Best of the Net”, and won a place on the Eden projects community engagement program.
These opportunities have not only enabled me to produce ambitious work but also strengthened my networks within the UK arts community and built confidence in delivering public engagement projects, experiences I would bring into a Dover Prize residency.
I am actively involved in self-initiated professional opportunities that support both my own practice and that of others. I am the co-founder and editor of Haus-a-rest, an artist-led, online art zine established in 2020. The platform was created to give space to artists, writers, and thinkers working across disciplines. Each issue is curated around a specific theme, and we have featured contributions from both emerging and established creatives worldwide.
Through Haus-a-rest, I have developed and coordinated open calls, online publishing schedules, and digital exhibitions, gaining experience in curation, editorial work, and community building. This platform has also led to collaborations with independent publishers and artist collectives.
In addition, I have co-organised exhibitions and pop-up events in unconventional spaces, such as disused buildings and mobile galleries, with the aim of increasing accessibility to contemporary art outside of traditional institutions. These self-led initiatives are vital to my ethos as an artist and allow me to create inclusive, sustainable, and experimental spaces for creative exchange.
In 2022–23, I was commissioned to set up and lead the Pulborough Creative Allotment, a community-centred art and growing space. This project was supported by local council funding and involved transforming an underused plot into an accessible environment for creative and ecological learning.
As lead artist and coordinator, I designed and delivered a series of workshops that combined foraging, plant dyeing, natural ink making, and collaborative growing practices. The allotment became a space where art, ecology, and community intersected, offering hands-on engagement with sustainability and creativity. Participants ranged from school groups to local artists and residents, creating an inclusive and intergenerational atmosphere.
The project reflected my commitment to socially engaged, environmentally focused practice and extended my exploration of land-based methods already central to my studio work. It also aligned with ongoing themes in my practice, such as impermanence, plant materiality, and ritual.
Not as such. I do have some photography work on display in a college in Arkansas and Rome, these works were based on ecology and ruins.
My work has not yet been acquired by a public collection in the UK.
However, my practice is evolving in ways that increasingly align with the values of public collections, particularly around sustainability, participatory processes, and social engagement. The ephemeral and process-based nature of my work has, until recently, focused more on community impact and experience than permanence or acquisition.
That said, I am now developing ways to document and present ephemeral work in formats suitable for institutional acquisition, such as through archival prints, pigment studies, and narrative documentation. I have begun conversations with regional curators around how collections can incorporate more experimental, biodegradable, or time-based practices while maintaining relevance and accessibility for public audiences.
Being included in a public collection is a future goal, particularly where there’s alignment with museums or archives focused on contemporary ecological art, feminist histories, or socially engaged practice. I see the potential to develop hybrid pieces that honour both the transient nature of the materials and the need for lasting public engagement.
Yes, my work has been featured across a range of respected online platforms and independent publications that reflect the environmentally engaged and interdisciplinary nature of my practice.
I am the co-founder and editor of Haus-a-rest, an artist-led digital zine that has published multiple features of my work alongside curated contributions from international artists and writers. The platform focuses on themes of ecology, memory, and material experimentation.
My work has also been profiled by Climate Cultures, where I was invited to contribute a reflective piece on creative resilience and sustainability, with a focus on natural pigments and biodegradable materials. In addition, Axis Web and North Art have hosted profiles and documentation of my recent projects, helping to broaden visibility and reach new audiences within the contemporary art scene.
Most recently, I was featured by Groundwork Gallery, a space dedicated to art and the environment, which highlighted my project The Art of Losing for its commitment to impermanence, ecological grief, and plant-based materials.
These features have contributed to the critical framing of my practice and have helped position my work within ongoing conversations around sustainability and socially engaged art.
I have participated in several artist residencies that have significantly influenced the evolution of my practice.
The most recognised residency was In 2021, I was selected for the Royal Drawing School Residency at Dumfries House in Scotland. This immersive program provided me with dedicated studio space and access to the estate’s expansive grounds, allowing me to deepen my exploration of natural materials and the ephemerality of art. During this residency, I created a series of drawings, paintings, and photographs that responded directly to the surrounding landscape, further integrating sustainable practices into my work.
Email: nicholarodgers@icloud.com
Address: Barnhouse Close 11, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 2HT, GB
Local Authority: West Sussex County Council
