Simon Read is a visual artist who, having practiced within a conventional arts milieu for many years, decided to commit himself to exploring how he might contribute to a more profound understanding of environmental change. He quickly understood that the orthodox mechanisms for promoting art are not capable of fostering this discourse and that he should seek fresh paradigms. For nearly twenty years he has increasingly collaborated with communities, fellow academics and governmental institutions to encourage a sense of societal ownership and responsibility. This has been largely focused upon coastal and estuarine environments, in particular those of East Anglia UK, where he lives and also has intimate knowledge of coastal dynamics through the ownership of a seagoing barge.