IT CAME FROM when I was a small boy. I had this sense that nature was mysterious and there was a secret world there.

I DIDN'T HAVE THE KEY to go through that door, but I knew something was behind it—a whole new world.

MUCH OF MY CHILDHOOD was about finding people who knew more than me, who I could go into the woods with and learn about nature.

I DON'T REALLY HAVE A STYLE. I don’t think about it; I think about concept first. Then, I consider how it can be integrated into culture in the best way. That tells me what style needs to be employed.

THERE WAS A MOMENT when I gave up art early on in my career. I realised that making art as a destination or sole purpose was a mistake. I stopped creating art for a while and became a builder. I was building a wall once, when I noticed a butterfly land on a pile of bricks. That moment made me question everything.

I REALISED that my relationship with that butterfly and those bricks was something very exciting, and I wanted to be part of that.

BUT THEN I WAS TOLD OFF for wasting time and almost lost my job. That made me realise I needed to stop doing this and pursue that relationship instead.

INITIALLY when I created art, it was driven by a personal need to explore my relationship to the world and myself. I wanted to understand the cultural tools I used to relate to the world, particularly nature.

WHAT IS A TREE compared to me? Why am I comparing instead of seeing sameness?

MORE RECENTLY, though, it’s become more about societal and political relationships. I’ve combined my personal reflections with activism and a more outward focus.

WHENEVER I DO PERFORMANCE WORK, I find it utterly terrifying. I performed with a band called Chrome Hoof to a crowd of 1,300 people in London once. The music was improvised, and I wasn’t sure what would happen.

I WORE A HORSE'S HEAD and talked to a bird during a performance. That was probably my most terrifying moment.

AS AN ARTIST, I shouldn’t be trying to make art; I should be trying to relate to the world in interesting ways. Art should be a by-product of that engagement with the world.

IN 2022, I made a project called The Directors, which was very demanding. It was with an organisation called Art Angel, and I worked with five people who had psychosis.

I ACTED OUT their experiences of psychosis, and they directed me in the process. Some of these experiences were frightening and emotionally challenging. It was hard to make, but it was an important piece of work for me.

AT FIRST, I only knew Ruinart for its champagne. But what intrigued me was their environmental philosophy. I learned how biodiversity—wildflowers, bats, pollinators, and birds—directly impacts their vineyards and grape quality.

THE CONNECTION between ecology and commerce fascinated me. I wanted to highlight the animals essential to the vineyards and raise awareness of their ecosystem.

I WANTED TO DOCUMENT all the life in the ecosystem of the vineyards—from worms to birds, to fungi, insects, and reptiles. So, I created a nature calendar, celebrating the lives of these species.

EVERY DAY, a flag outside Maison Ruinart in Reims, France, raises a sentence about something happening in nature, like the return of a bird from migration or the emergence of an insect.

THESE SMALL MOMENTS are monumental for the species involved, and I wanted to elevate their importance. The flags are a way of embedding this awareness into everyday life.

SOME OF MY WORK IS SUBTLE, but I believe subtlety can have a bigger impact. Sometimes, whispering is louder than shouting.

I LOVE COLLABORATING. I collaborate all the time with scientists and politicians. Creativity expands when it’s shared.

I’D BE OPEN to working with Ari Aster, as I love film and am very involved with it. If he ever approached me, I’d definitely be interested.

I THINK ART has a vital role in societal change. It’s essential for growth and progress.

ART IS A PLACE where we can experiment, reimagine, and challenge. It’s where we can test the culture we have to create something new. Without that, culture remains stagnant.

ABSURDITY IS ABOUT INCONGRUITY—seeing things that shouldn’t go together. It challenges perspectives and opens up new ways of thinking.

ABSURDITY OFTEN BRINGS HUMOUR. When we laugh together, there’s an acceptance of difference and new perspectives.

MY WORK ADDRESSES other societal issues like mental health and dying, especially where culture doesn’t serve us.

BUT CLIMATE CHANGE is the big one.

WE KNOW WHAT'S COMING, yet many believe we’ll somehow escape it. It’s like watching a film and expecting a miracle.

IT'S FASCINATING how we can create new realities in our minds, but this escape can prevent us from facing the real consequences of our actions. It’s something I’m still grappling with.