Steven Saunders is a 22 year old digital artist from Stockport. He graduated from Lancaster University with a first class honours degree in Fine Art. During his time at Lancaster, he developed a passion for digital and installation art, specifically learning to use the software Blender. He began to use technology to engage with nature, experimenting with using macro lenses and 3D scanning. He combined this with intensive fieldwork at Morecambe Bay, focusing on sand, rocks and lichen to form his art practice. His work conveyed the beauty of nature, using the macro lens to produce detailed imagery of sand and lichen provoking a new perspective of the environment. This sparked an interest in reflecting on human’s connection to nature and using his artwork to engage with ideas surrounding the Anthropocene. Humans are becoming disconnected from nature and he aims to open the audience to non-human voices. Previously he has created an installation combining animation, text, macro footage and audio to explore the speculative future of lichen. The work contrasted lichen’s gradual growth and environmentally sensitive properties with human-induced climate destruction. He imagines the potential rise of a synthetic lichen, designed by humans to fulfil the role of a natural lichen in the future. During his final year he contributed to the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, a community led, place-based approach to teaching young people about sustainability. He discussed with primary school teachers ways of using contemporary art ideas to encourage children to learn about their environment. He has continued his interest in sharing art with young people through voluntary work with ARC Stockport.

Since graduating university he has continued to develop his skills in Blender to create art that engages with nature and the Anthropocene. The work that he submitted for the FutureEverything PROTO artist commission reflects on extinction. Using Blender and 3D scanning he created an underwater environment in which fossils come alive, haunting the sea of today which is polluted with microplastics. These can kill sea creatures and could eventually play a role in the extinction of some species. This work draws a contrast between the natural extinction of the fossils and the possible human-caused extinction of sea creatures in the future. Plankton are floating around the fossils in the sea, these microscopic organisms are crucial for the marine ecosystem and produce oxygen for humans. He aims to show the audience how humans and nature are connected and therefore need to co-exist.

Steven’s artwork will be exhibited at the new Stockroom venue in Stockport from May 23rd to June 30th, 2025.