ECO-ANXIETY MANIPULATOR ︎ MULTI-SPECIES EMPATHY GENERATOR ︎ LOW CARBON PLEASURE ACCELERATOR ︎­­ BIO-CONSCIENCE PERCOLATOR ︎ MUTUAL-AID CO-ORDINATOR ︎ GAIAN COLLABORATOR ­︎­ ANTI-DENIAL COMMUNICATOR ︎ PLANETARY CRAFT ORIGINATOR ︎ ECOTOPIA SIMULATOR ︎ INTER SPECIES NETWORK SPECULATOR ︎︎︎





Founded: 2017
Current location: Glasgow & London, UK
Current members: 4

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXANDER HOYLES




A+E is a group of creatives working in design, film, food and writing, coming together to awaken people’s imaginations and investment in a better World.




We work collaboratively and on a commission basis with artists, individuals and organisations from a whole range of backgrounds. We also seek to offer assistance and tailored visual content to anyone looking for sustainable and climate conscious projects which are thoughtful, imaginative and engaging.

As a collective we produce and facilitate a myriad of multidisciplinary events, including workshops, reading sessions, meditative gatherings and film screenings. Moreover, we specialise in digital and print design, creative writing, critical theory, publishing and curating. Throughout our work, we consistently strive to use sustainable materials and reduce our collective carbon footprint.

The collective formed in 2017 out of a shared concern for the climate crisis, ecological consciousness and a strong desire to forge a more playful, vibrant account of living in the Anthropocene.*

Our vision is of a post-oil, radical and diverse culture that addresses the current climate crisis through experimental, ethical and accessible approaches: a culture that takes creative and political risks whilst promoting the wellbeing of human and more-than-human beings. We hope for a world where our inseparable connection and interdependence with the natural world is nourished, respected and celebrated.

Our mission involves the following: promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration, cooperative research and participatory creative practice; continually traversing new modes of stimulating environmental and conscious thinking; maintaining commitment to making our work accessible to a wide audience; and, finally, furthering artistic and intellectual exchanges with individuals and institutions both within and beyond the art world.

If you have ideas for projects and collaborations, or just want to have a chat, we’d love to hear from you.

*Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.




MEMBERS

Finn Arschavir is an artist and designer working in engagement and inclusion. His practice spans research, drawing, sound and moving image. He often works collaboratively, sometimes with cultural and community organisations, to challenge social and environmental inequalities and to cultivate a shared understanding of empathy, plurality and self-transcendence. He contributes to the design, production and wavy ambience of the collective.

Ane Lopez is a creative practitioner with a background ranging across curation, design and  marketing with a focus on film and Anthropocene aesthetics. Ane is currently working as Programme Assistant for UNFIX, the Glasgow based performance and ecology festival, and she has curated a film programme for Femspectives 2021’s online weekender.

Maria Sledmere joined the Collective in 2018. A poet and artist, Maria is currently finishing a DFA in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she explores a practice of 'hypercritique' for the anthropocene. While an occasional illustrator, she generally contributes to the writerly and research branch of the collective, and like Finn is all about that wavy ambience.

Lucy Watkins is a communication designer currently assisting organisations who are positively impacting people, planet and future. Developing unique identities and a broad range of print/digital collateral she ensures sustainability is kept in mind throughout the design process and into the final outcome. Lucy is also a passionate local, seasonal and zero waste cooking advocate.



ABOUT OUR WEB HOSTING

As we strive for more environmentally conscious outcomes, it’s only right that we look into improving the carbon content of our digital presence. From taking easy steps such as switching to a green hosting company or deleting ancient emails, to considering the use of vector graphics, low carbon colour palettes and plain text for our website, there’s a lot of different ways we can reduce how much our digital lives impact the environment.

Our first step was switching to a green hosting company. We chose Kualo to host our domain, who are a hosting facility based in the UK. The building is designed with energy efficient principles in mind, with enclosed hot-aisle containment, economic chilled-water cooling, and powered by electricity generated entirely from renewable sources. The entire facility is also audited to ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System standards. They also support re-forestation projects to plant trees to help sequester future carbon emissions. So far they’ve offset around 800 tons of CO2 and planted almost 30,000 trees. 

Whilst this is a good start we’re still by no means zero carbon. We’re at the beginning of our journey and we’re committed to doing our part in reducing our digital carbon footprint.

If you’re interested in learning more about the weight of our online presence, you’ll find a non-exhaustive list of resources below which may help you on your low carbon journey:

1 Find out the estimated CO2 emissions of your website here.

2 Visit the Green Hosting Directory to locate a green host near you.

3 Learn how to work towards a zero carbon website.

4 Check out Wholegrain Digitals extensive guide, and even get a PDF version delivered to your inbox (but don’t let it sit there forever!).

5 Watch Anyways Creative discuss the impact of digital hoarding and provide you with tips and tools on how to reduce your digital footprint.