Robert Colbourne

"The crucial issue is not whether but how an artist enters a space." [Rosalyn Deutsche]

I always see art practice as being part of the story of change, and aim to find the best way I can contribute.

Underpinning everything I do is an initial process of research and on-site survey in the hope that I can reinterpret what I find in an appropriate and useful way. It can mean I look at such things as the history, ecology, geography and geology of a certain place.

It can also mean the area I investigate might be as large as a whole town or even smaller than a metre of path along a cliff edge.

However, I always look for those important resonating details that can build relationships, inform the design process and generally enrich the conversation.

In the past I have collaborated with anyone from architects and urban designers to wildlife experts, archaeologists, historians, geographers, writers and other artists. I always seek out and welcome other kinds of expertise into a project too. This often means engaging with people of all ages who live in, work in or use a 'site' regularly. I believe that working with people is both ethical and an essential part of the process.

My working practice and past experience allow me to undertake a range of approaches to projects and places, whether this means working to briefs, delivering artist led outputs or working within a design team. It can also mean I can work at any stage of the development process