FLOW AIMS TO HELP ORGANISATIONS DEVELOP, AND THEIR AUDIENCES TO LEARN, CREATE, CONNECT AND FLOURISH, SO THAT THEIR COMMUNITIES CAN THRIVE.
We work with arts, heritage, science and educational organisations to create wonderful, effective and sustainable experiences and services. Inspired by the theory of ‘flow’, we ensure that people have the right balance of challenge and support to be optimally engaged. Our research and policy work helps shape dialogues and programmes in areas of cultural learning, sustainable futures and digital strategy.
In 2006, I founded Flow Associates with Mark Stevenson, and I now co-direct it with Susanne Buck and Alex Flowers. I’m now working only part-time with Flow. Since forming in 2006, we have completed audience research, education plans, digital strategies and evaluations for many cultural, heritage and science organisations at policy and delivery level.
We form teams from a pool of trusted associates to expand and tailor our teams to meet the needs of diverse projects around these areas. My own role in Flow has been to lead consultancy projects in the UK, as a thought leader on cultural and environmental engagement.
In the past four years, I’ve been increasingly speaking, researching and facilitating on planning for the future – with a focus on environmental sustainability in these areas:
- Preparing future generations through cultural and creative education
- Developing ecologically sustainable programmes and content in arts and heritage
- Evaluating initiatives for their impact on communities and learners
- Scanning the horizon and planning for future risks and opportunities.
Example projects include:
- International research on public attitudes to food sustainability (food systems, climate change and ecosystem harm) and how museums & informal science education can respond. This was commissioned by the Science Museum with the Museum of Tomorrow in Brazil and the Indian Council of Science Museums.
- Research for the Natural History Museum to scope a Global Education Initiative and children’s activity programme on nature connection in context of the Earth crisis.
- Natural World Principles for the Horniman Museum
- Evaluation of the Royal Parks’ Green Futures programme.