Phylum Vol. II presents a transnational conversation on art, architecture and design. UWE professor and researcher, Dr Fidel Meraz and Canadian artist, Jonathan Luckhurst, explore architecture as not only a built space, but as an arena for reimagining more sustainable and inclusive futures. Jonathan Luckhurst will present Proposals for Reimagined Futures, his current body of work that draws on deep time ecological strategies to suggest how both humans and the Earth might respond to the current environmental crisis. Our second speaker, Dr Fidel Meraz, will highlight Bristol's local architectural context through his photography and research surrounding the Trinity Art Centre's new location to be housed in the historic Jacob Wells Baths building. (See full artist bios below)

Two 20-minute artist presentations will be followed by a live Q&A. The evening concludes with an opportunity to exchange ideas and make new connections. 

Artist Bios

Jonathan Luckhurst integrates natural processes and ecological systems into immersive artworks that reframe our relationship to the built environment and the natural world. His works are conceived as deep time echoes — incorporating ancient life forms and ecologies that have appeared throughout Earth’s history in response to moments of distress, to highlight and understand our current moment of crisis. Through them, his works become conceptual biomimicry, re-enactments of ecological strategies, mirroring rhythms of decay and proliferation, alluding to how both humans and the Earth might respond.

Luckhurst is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Edmonton Arts Council. In 2015, he was invited to participate in the Vancouver Biennale International Artist Residency Program, and in 2020, he was commissioned by the Art Gallery of Alberta to create an installation for the BMO World of Creativity Gallery. His current work, Proposals for Reimagined Futures, was published by the Vancouver Biennale in 2025. He received his Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and Genetics from the University of British Columbia and is the founder of Sea to Sky Botanics — a social enterprise that implements food sovereignty projects in northern communities. Luckhurst’s pragmatic, real-world experience with food sovereignty initiatives anchors and guides his approach to making art while creating layers within his work that could not be achieved otherwise.

www.jonathanluckhurst.ca
@jonathanluckhurst

Dr Fidel Meraz is a Senior Lecturer in Architecture at UWE, Bristol. His research explores philosophical and phenomenological approaches to architectural places, with particular attention to temporality, collective memory, heritage conservation, cultural identity and wellbeing. His work examines how sensory perception, including sound and visual experiences and documentation, shapes our interpretation of the built environment.

Alongside his academic research, Fidel has pursued practice-based explorations of heritage spaces through photographic and installation-oriented work. His current research includes the Jacob Wells Baths project in Bristol, which investigates the phenomenology of conservation and the sensory dimensions of historic environments via photography. 

https://people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/FidelMeraz
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fidel-meraz-8873444/
https://bristolshock.blog/

About Phylum:

Phylum Artist Talks presents artists and designers working at the intersection of ecology, sustainability and social practice. Creatives today play a vital role in bridging the gap between research and positive action. Taking place in Bristol, our programme brings together established and emerging artists to share future-facing projects and explore the most pressing issues of our time. 

Submissions:

Phylum is dedicated to including perspectives from as many diverse voices as possible. To register your interest in participating in a future talk, please email us: [email protected].