Building on his popular talk Widening the Aperture, Dr Chris McKeown returns to explore a new question at the intersection of art, wellbeing, science, and nature:
What is an artist really hoping to transfer to the viewer of their work?
Drawing on photography, neuroscience, and lived creative practice, this talk introduces a new project in formation exploring contemplative creative arts. These are moments where artists create not just objects, but invitations to notice, shaped by attention, care, and presence.
Through stories from photography, conversations with creatives, and portraiture and documentary work, Chris reflects on how art can become a meeting place between maker and viewer, and how creativity, when approached with stillness and intention, can support wellbeing and spiritual growth for both.
Weaving together insights from art, science, contemplative creativity, and nature, this talk considers how slowing down, noticing, and creating space may allow something meaningful to be transferred, not just seen.
Dr Chris McKeown moved from Scotland to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2002 and immediately fell in love with photographing the landscape. Over the past decade, he’s captured the earth, the sea, the stars and the people who live beneath them. His images have been nominated for awards, published in magazines, featured in hospital murals, and sold as fine art prints and canvases. His annual calendar sells out each year and has raised thousands of dollars for charity.
Image credit: Aoraki. Provided and reproduced with permission by Chris McKeown