_Biomorfs_

What Are biomorfs?

Biomorf is from the Greek words ‘bio’, meaning life, and ‘morphe’, meaning form. Rather than life form, it means the tendency to exhibit the appearance or qualities of a living thing.

Biomorfs & Nature Activism

“As a sixty-year conservationist, I know that… communicating nature truths to people is the key. 

Bringing nature truths to people is my job.

Human’s have always personified animal spirits in ritual – embodying them with mask, cloak and costume… by doing so, they gained insights into their relationships with each other and the natural world. 

I present a spirit animal, “A Biomorf” and the audience—through their imagination, give it life. 

I use ‘Biomorfs’ to highlight the deep connection between humans and nature in ways that resonate with people’s real lives.

Biomorfs are simple tools that can communicate complex ideas, especially with younger audiences… helping young people understand how modern human activity impacts the planet and, that as individuals we each have the power to make a difference.

This message is vital in today’s climate/biodiversity crisis, inspiring action & offering hope amid growing eco-anxiety. 

Biomorfs tell stories of nature and our place in it… that is my activism.

By tapping into our ancient imaginations, we can work together to create a sustainable, resilient future within nature.“

For all of his career, Wild Connect co-founder Todd has expressed the wild through art.

“It’s about communicating with people…
I give the name – I say, “It is a rhino”. “A bear”. “An osprey, a fish, a mouse, a worm, a beetle, or something fantastical.” 

You suspend disbelief and through your imagination… it lives. 

Thank you for giving me a career conjuring life.”

 

Tiger Tiger

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Built by Jim Crawley and Nat Simpson

Built on & Performed by Maya Bruce

Puppeteering Assistant Brendan O’brien

Special thanks to Paul Cummin, Annebelle & Sam Soloman

For the Chagford Film Festival

Gwion Bach

Small Influencer

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Created by Philippa O’brien

Lives in Todd’s pocket

Appears all over the place

Rollin Rhino

London Marathon ’24

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Rollin Rhino is part of Todd’s decades long drive to ensure everyone has the chance to do something in the service of the environment.

Designed by Todd, RR was built with the help of Coleg y Cymoedd British Airways apprentices, creative art and vocational students.

Generously supported by Motivation, OrangeBox & Welsh Rugby League Wheelchair team

Saving the rhino suit

Read more

Ceisiwr

Osprey Ambassador

We built Ceisiwr as an ambassador of the wild – to accompany the expedition mounted by Conservation Without Borders , that followed the migration of the UK osprey from their nesting grounds to their summer hunting areas in the Gambia, West Africa

Here’s a short essay by Sacha Dench, UN Ambassador for Migratory Species and CWB’s CEO & founder

‘From the UK to Africa, our aim was to bring together people to share knowledge, fears, and ideas around the conservation of migratory birds, like the osprey. We wanted to hear – not just those already-known and respected voices of conservation, but listen to the testimony of individuals & communities under the osprey’s flight path. To get their take on where the problems were and listen to their suggestions, as to how those problems might be solved.

We wanted to speak to ordinary people, who lived around the key sites these amazing birds pass through, to discover… why so many die en route?

Our main challenges were a) we were strangers to these people so had to build trust from scratch, b) we were arriving in 3 large vehicles and potentially looked threatening, c) there were language barriers, particularly where most people spoke regional languages, with perhaps French or Arabic as a second language. In addition, we were speaking to people who faced many challenges – so why would they want to give some of their precious time to us?

This is where Ceisiwr came in. My initial reaction of adding a full size osprey biomorf to our already full vehicles, should have been a very polite refusal on practical grounds, but something about the idea made me stop, got my imagination going. I have seen before the power of an animated creature to allow people a moment to escape, to imagine, to wonder. I have also seen how getting people in that mindset of wonder, is the precursor to getting them engaged and offering to help.

I knew it was worth a try.

We found that Ceisiwr made it very clear to anyone, in any language, that ospreys are distinctive large, fish eating birds with brown ‘shades’. Introducing it to young people, gave the adults space to approach and engage. It created the space and tone for storytelling, inspiring people to tell us the stories of the ospreys they’d seen locally (what we could call data), that helped us fill in the picture.

Ceisiwr the biomorf – can turn its head and look you in the eye. It gives people shivers and connects.

They can touch it and sense life.’

It was a real gift.

Sacha Dench

The Last Curlew

Animated mix of Human & Nature and voices

Iorek Brynisson

Representing Nature for Film

Interactive puppets are valuable in film-making… known as Creature FX

Though the final on-screen character will almost always by computer generated, the on-set version will be a proxy, as in the full scale version of Iorek that Wild Connect’s Todd designed for the recent BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials”.

This work garnered BAFTAs for the production

Here are our latest articles and posts…

Gil the Beetle

School engagement

Gil tells it like it is… Bugs rule!

Humans are squishy and parasitic, the planet would be better without them.

Bugs on the other hand, are critical to life existing and continuing on Earth