Eilidh Guthrie

Water Issues in Wetlands and Woodlands: A Creative Practice-Led Investigation

This PhD research is an exciting continuation of my previously published Art and Science Collaborations: Communicating Climate Change (Guthrie, 2022). 

Marked by losing my home during Storm Babet in October 2023, this has led me to a profound understanding of the importance of Natural Flood Management (NFM) in peatland restoration. 

Using a deep mapping method (Modeen and Biggs, 2020) I will compile information about bog ecology and its natural flood management abilities. I will research how bog restoration helps manage water flow peaks and stores water during extreme weather events. 

Visiting flood-prone communities that benefit from bog restoration, I will facilitate workshops that bring together artists, scientists, and communities. 

I will create deep maps centred around natural flood management, including precipitation data, flood maps, flood history, water catchments, topography, restoration history and the perspectives of those who live there. 

We will creatively collaborate and imagine our future for humankind and other-than-humans.