Across a sunny April, as the campus welcomed spring with blooming daffodils, primroses and cowslips, Rachel Lambert joined the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) at the University of Exeter as community as Artist in Residence. The residency explored the role a creative practitioner might play within a research-intensive environment such as the ESI. With an open and flexible brief, Rachel was invited to take over the ESI’s Creative Studio space, connect with staff across the organisation, and explore the many resources and landscapes the campus has to offer.

You can watch a short film about the residency below, and also find exhibition photos and links to process blogs.

About Rachel Lambert

Rachel Lambert's creative practice is motivated by the understanding that the biggest threat to our ecological stability is our disconnect from nature. Straddling craft, fine art, foraging and sustainability, she explores local plant fibres in a way that begs; questions of our own material choices, an awe of flora and an inspiration for the potential of human-to-plant relationships.

As an emerging artist with a background as a foraging guide and award-winning author on wild food and cooking, Rachel's passion for celebrating common and, often, over-looked plants is central to her work. Using traditional techniques, some of which are on the UK red list of crafts at risk of going extinct, Rachel engages new creative ways to remind us of our rich ancestry and symbiotic relationship with plants.

Indeed, her work is a nod to our indigenous past of honouring plants, using everything and respecting all of life, both letting the plants speak for themselves and helping give them voice through the processes she uses and objects she creates. You can see Rachel’s previous work at; www.wildwalks-southwest.co.uk

She has collaborated with the University of Exeter in the past through the Business School's Evolve Futures programme where she worked with Dr Louise Venables and Newlyn Fermentary on the Dandelion Project.

Foraging Walks

Each week, Rachel led community walks across different areas of the campus, gathering plants and fibres through seasonal foraging sessions alongside members of the campus grounds team. These walks became more than opportunities to collect materials; they encouraged participants to learn together, build connections, and develop a deeper appreciation of the campus as a place rich in both natural and cultural heritage.

Back in the Creative Studio, the walks were followed by weekly making sessions, where Rachel introduced participants to a range of heritage craft techniques. During these sessions, 'Welcoming Mat' was created by Rachel with contributions from more than 100 staff, students and members of the local community, reflecting the shared creativity and collaboration at the heart of the residency.

Alongside her making practice, Rachel engaged in conversations with researchers and specialists from across the ESI community. These exchanges ranged from discussions with those using satellite data to map vegetation patterns, to conversations with researchers exploring microbiol approaches to soil health. Through these dialogues, the residency became a space for shared curiosity, connecting creative practice with environmental research.

Rachel also spent time in the ESI laboratories, exploring how scientific equipment and processes could deepen her own understanding of the plants and fibres she works with so closely. Time spent in the library and FX Plus archives further informed her research, particularly her interest in naturally occurring patterns within plant life and the ways written texts, stories and archival materials might be interwoven into her making practice.

Process Blogs

Welcome-Mat Exhibition

In the final days of the residency, the Creative Studio was transformed into a temporary exhibition space, showcasing Welcoming Mat (Mat Welcoming) alongside a display exploring Rachel’s residency process, research and approach. A launch event and artist talk welcomed staff, students and members of the public to experience this remarkable work — described by Rachel as “woven from a world garden of international plants” and people. The exhibition offered an opportunity to reflect on the conversations, collaborations and shared making that had shaped the residency, celebrating creativity as a powerful way of connecting research, community and place.

About the Residency Partnership

The residency is a partnership between Arts and Culture, University of Exeter and Creative Kernow Associates (CKA). CKA is part of Creative Kernow, an organisation whose aim is to champion creativity as a force for positive change in Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly. The CKA programme offers support to artists including resources, newsletters, free events as well as access to opportunities to develop creative practice.