ark
cities. climate. culture.
cities.
climate.
culture.
Ark is a place-based cultural methodology bringing communities, artists, researchers and civic partners together to explore lived experiences of water, climate and place.
Through listening, gathering, commissioning and public making, Ark turns local knowledge into shared cultural forms, lasting relationships and new civic insight.
what ark is
Ark brings people together to ask difficult civic questions in public.
It begins small: a conversation, a meal, a walk or a workshop.
From these encounters, Ark gathers local knowledge, supports creative responses and creates shared public events.
Each Ark is shaped by its place. The method is consistent, but the questions, relationships and forms remain local.
how ark works
01
locate
02
listen
03
convene
04
commission
05
make public
06
return
ark in place
Each Ark is shaped by its location, its people and its most pressing questions. Sheffield, Bradford and Doncaster show how a shared methodology can take different forms while building knowledge, relationships and creative work across places.
ark sheffield
The originating civic-scale Ark, developed through workshops, conversations and public performance in 2022.
ark bradford
An expanded model of community gathering, local commissioning and shared cultural production, developed across 2024–25.
ark doncaster
A developing cultural and environmental research partnership exploring water, climate and civic life across 2026–27.
current focus: ark doncaster
Ark Doncaster began in April 2026 through a partnership with City of Doncaster Council, Cast and Sheffield Hallam University. Connected to the developing Doncaster and Humber UNESCO Biosphere, it explores relationships between water, climate, culture and civic life across the borough.
The work is now entering a period of return, analysis and further development through to May 2027.
paid creative commissions
Ark commissions local artists and creative practitioners to respond to the questions, stories and knowledge emerging through the programme.
free community meals
Shared meals create hospitable spaces for conversation, exchange and collective reflection across communities and institutions.
storm-gathering
A public assembly bringing stories, performances, commissioned work and civic questions together in one shared event.
work with ark
Ark works with communities, artists, cultural organisations, local authorities, universities and environmental partners who want to explore relationships between climate, water, culture and place.
Each partnership begins with the questions, knowledge and relationships already present in a place. Together, we develop a locally rooted programme of listening, gathering, creative commissioning and public activity, shaped through Ark’s evolving methodology.
If you are developing a cultural, civic, environmental or research programme, we would welcome a conversation about what Ark could make possible in your place.