Project Management
About
This is the website for my personal work and projects and for my consultancy, lowwintersun, which specialises in co-operative and social enterprise new project development, project management, marketing and research. <Jan 2015 update> I am now employed 4 days/week for Carbon Co-op, though continue to pursue creative and freelance projects outside of that time. Jonathan Atkinson
Carbon Co-op
Between 2007 and 2011, I collaborated with URBED to oversee the project development of Carbon Co-op, a co-operative for householders wishing to make large scale reductions in household energy usage. This work involved long term research and development and extensive piloting of householder engagement methods.
In 2011 Carbon Co-op was constituted as a community benefit society.
Future Ethics – Beyond the Tipping Point?
Beyond the Tipping Point? was a film project of ethicist Dr Stefan Skrimshire. The film, effectively the end product of his PhD, featured interviews with writers, philosophers and thinkers on the subject of belief and climate change. The central question of the film looked at the importance and usefulness of so-called ‘tipping points’, markers in relation to climate change beyond which there is ‘no return’. How useful are these in motivating action on climate change and what happens when these time-markers elapse? I assited Stefan in planning the launch night and promoting the film.
Single Cell – Finding Zion residency
new economics foundation – Ration Me Up
I worked with Andrew Simms, Ruth Potts and Corina Cordon of new economics foundation to curate artists interventions engaging with themes of taking action on climate change.
The key project Ration Me Up, was led by environmental performance artist Clare Patey working with nef climate scientist Victoria Johnson and designers Thomas Matthews. Ration Me Up consisted of a modern day carbon ration book featuring ‘carbon stamps’ that could be spent on a range of activities, up to a personal carbon ration ceiling for the month.
Launched at The Bigger Picture event on the South Bank in London with a 1940s-style performance, a follow up project website encouraged volunteers to try and live a month using the ration book. Their experiences were documented on the site.
I worked with nef to develop and seek funding for the project and I curated Ration Me Up.
UHC Collective/Ultimate Holding Company
I was a co-founder of UHC Collective, an arts/activist and ethical marketing organisation which began in 2003. I was involved as an activist researcher and artist and acted as account manager for marketing operations. I left to pursue my own projects in 2007.
