ABOUT JADE
Dr. Jade de Montserrat is an artist concerned with challenging structures of care in institutions and with the intersection of gender, race, class, and colonialism, often in the context of life in rural communities.
ABOUT JO
Dr Jo Edwards completed a DPhil at the University of Sussex in 2005, looking at 16th century travellers who went to America, and those who stayed behind but wanted to write about something new. The experience instilled in her a love of finding out about new things, and in battling against traditional views, something which her research demonstrates can be very hard. It’s been this sense of challenging established norms that has driven Jo’s career, through a decade in strategy, policy and planning roles in higher education to the launch Lucidity Solutions in August 2014, to offer an ethical and sustainable approach to business consultancy. Jo has come to charcoal later in life, beginning her wood-collier apprenticeship in 2021, not long before she met Jade. Charcoal is now a vocation, and Jo is usually found in the charcoal shed, next to Betty the retort!
Jo takes the lead in processing and producing the artist's charcoal. Stages include stripping the bark so the sticks are clean, processing into lengths, packing the tins which we use to cook the charcoal, and then managing the burns. She is passionate about making this high-quality, sustainable art product.
ABOUT PAUL
With qualifications in both gardening and arboriculture to his name, Paul is a skilled worker and trainer with twenty years’ hands-on experience across a range of sectors. As a founder and director of woodland groups, Paul combined his knowledge of rural practices with his interest in social wellbeing to start Green Aspirations Scotland CIC, a social enterprise committed to reconnecting people with the woodlands. Never comfortable without a project on hand and a tool with which to shape it, Paul’s practical nature and love of the outdoors continuously drives his workshops in creative new directions. He aims to continue passing on traditional woodland green woodworking skills to anyone in earshot. Paul has been making charcoal as a by-product of sustainable woodland management for as long as he can remember, and is expert in all forms of charcoal making, from earth burns to the moden retort.
Paul brings his expertise in woodland management and charcoal making to the project, advising Jo on process and keeping us connected to the social purpose of the business. Paul also takes the lead on sourcing the wood we use to make the charcoal.