exploring the intersections of art, science & ecology
discovering colour transformations from extreme weather conditions
Jules explores the hidden colours and textures of hedgerows and British native tree species. She contributed to the Green Plan Hedgerow Survey Team, a joint initiative with the Watlington Climate Action Group and the Watlington Environment Group, and later collaborated with The University of Oxford’s ‘Science Together’ project. Together they developed a community programme focused on hedgerow inks and pigments and investigated mixing them into CO₂-absorbing, VOC-free paint.
Jules’ current research centres on the Broad Arboretum at the Earth Trust, Oxfordshire, home to all 49 British native trees planted over 30 years ago. She has been recording seasonal leaf colours and the inks they produce, and tracking chlorophyll to see how nature’s palette shifts over time. Working at the intersections of art, science, and ecology, Jules weaves observation, experiment, and creative practice to uncover the subtle rhythms and transformations of the natural world. Following the drought during the summer of 2025, she noticed a significant shift in the hues the inks from the leaves were producing, and realised that anthocyanin levels had increased as a protective mechanism to fight the drought conditions. This moment of acute liminality is Jules’ current primary line of enquiry, and this research offers a material way to perceive ecological stress, translating pigment shifts into visible, embodied colour.
