climate activism

For 7 years I worked closely with Campaign Against Climate Change (CACC) creating many scenarios, props and characters which featured in the international press, and helping them establish an annual Climate March - which takes place each December.

For the Mayday protests in 2001, I donned silver body paint and a mermaid’s tail – as a way of showing that I was a peaceful protestor at a time when these events were expected to be highly confrontational. Over the years the mermaid's blue skin and curves became a picture editor’s favourite, and care was always taken to ensure that her placard with its rising tide message is held so that it could not be cropped out.

She was also a roving performer, often improvising speech and song and recruiting bystanders and other demonstrators to become part of the show, the spectacle, the media event. Whether working spontaneously, or collaborating with the Space Hijackers, CACC or WWF, the aim was to make the street a theatre, and to use charm, glamour and irreverence to get the message through.