As DARCH, our practice is rooted in ritual and the sacredness of our connections to land, ancestors, and spirit. Our creative practice begins with holding closed ceremonies, gathering in intentional spaces that invite the guidance of plants, the land, and our ancestors. Alongside this, we explore archives and engage in conversations, between ourselves and with our wider community, both of which help us unearth and shape the voice of our work. These conversations are essential—they are not just dialogue but a form of research, guiding us to understand what our work wants to communicate, embody, and offer to others. Our process centres on the shared elements of our individual practices—ritual, shrine-making, and relationship to the land. Sound work, storytelling, and open exchange form the foundation of our approach, allowing us to foster a creative space that transcends the human and honours a more-than-human world. This orientation reflects our commitment to animism and ancestral honouring, as well as our commitment to prefigurative politics, that is a deliberate experimental implementation of desired future social relations and practices in the here-and-now. In 2025, DARCH was selected to represent Wales at the Liverpool Biennale developing ‘Heaven in the Ground’ a sound work and installation about death rites and the sacredness of the underground, and in 2026 they will be exhibiting ‘You Have Done This Before’ a series of coming of age rituals with young people about climate grief at Ty Pawb commissioned by We Are Unlimited, as well as a touring solo exhibition expanding on ‘Heaven in the Ground’, supported by ACW through their Create fund, involving bespoke elements and additional artworks that will premier in G39 in Cardiff, The Mission Gallery Swansea, and Oriel Mostyn in North Wales.
