Unmasking Nature
20 June 2026 | 2:00 – 3:30pm | Bristol City Hall
Foraging for the senses. An artists talk by Alan James Burns that asks, “what does it mean to be neurodivergent in nature?”
Awash with texture and tiny details, ‘Unmasking Nature’ is shaped by sensory cues. You are invited to engage with themes such as biodiversity and more-than-human communication (including with plants, animals and inanimate elements) through an inclusive, neurodivergent lens.
During the event we will celebrate people’s connection to nature through stimming. Stimming, short for ‘self-stimulatory behaviour’, refers to repetitive movements or sounds that people make to help regulate their sensory input, emotions or focus. Our society, which often demands conformity, causes many disabled people to mask their true selves. Being in nature offers radical relief: acceptance without judgment and unconditional belonging. Just as biodiversity flourishes when given space to grow, many neurodivergent people thrive in freedom. ‘Unmasking Nature’ draws parallels between the two, highlighting how patterns in nature reflect neurodivergent ways of moving through the world.
This event is a permission slip to step away from societal systems that cage us.
Join us, slow down, and touch grass.
Tickets
To be sure of a space please reserve your place here.
This event is free.
AlanJames Burns
AlanJame Burns is a neurodivergent, environmental and audiovisual artist, curator and producer. Their artistic practice centres on disability, climate change and the human mind.
Burns works highly collaboratively with diverse communities, artists and scientists to develop interactive and socially-engaged projects including: ‘Divergently Together,’ 2025-2027, exploring non-linear thinking and climate resilience; ‘Our Place,’ 2023-2026, fostering creativity and digital inclusion for intellectually disabled adults; Disrupt Disability Arts Festival, an annual Disability Festival by and for the disability community, held at Project Arts Centre, Dublin. They have been funded by Arts Council, Creative Ireland, ADI, Arts Council England and Cavan Arts.
Funding
This event is made possible through funding from the European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA), an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA) supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, built to empower festivals and offer emerging artists a platform to establish themselves on the international stage.
Unmasking Nature
‘Unmasking Nature’ was developed as part of ‘Divergently Together’ led by artist AlanJames Burns in collaboration with Dublin City University and Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics. ‘Divergently Together’ is an ongoing shared-island community engagement project funded by the Creative Climate Action Fund (2024–2025), an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme with Shared Island funding by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Taoiseach, and the Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland Discover Programme (2025–2026).