Art, ecology
& public life.

Lora Aziz

An Egyptian–British artist, writer and cultural ecologist working between art, land and public life.

My work begins with attention: to a plant growing at the edge of a path, to the memory held in a recipe, to water moving through a landscape. Through walking, gathering and making with others, I explore how cultural knowledge and ecological relationships shape the places we inhabit.

My practice spans installation, experimental calligraphy, wildcrafting, writing and participatory research. It brings Arab, North African and diasporic perspectives into conversation with the landscapes of the UK and Egypt, asking whose stories and knowledge are recognised, and how more people can take part.

I also build and lead cultural programmes. Partnership development, fundraising, commissioning and evaluation are part of that work: creating the conditions in which artists, communities, researchers and environmental organisations can collaborate over time.

Making work.
Making space.

My British Council COP27 Creative Commission, Motanafas, developed through collaboration across the UK and Egypt. Work with Motanafas Collective became part of Wellcome Collection’s Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, and I contributed to the accompanying anthology.

As founder and project director of Blue Steps Along the Saffron Trail, I bring cultural practice into dialogue with water, access and ecological care. I founded Samara Cultures to support this next chapter and wider collaborative work across culture and ecology.

My professional experience includes cultural development within Chelmsford City Council, national programme work with National Landscapes, and entrepreneurial work through Wyrd Flora. These experiences inform how I lead: with an artist’s curiosity and a producer’s attention to people, resources and delivery.