Dom Bridges
is In Wild Air

Culture

The Coast

The bones of our earliest ancestors were found near the sea. It's in our blood, our nature, to be near it for food, for recreation, and for health. I find that living near the sea instills a deep calm. There's a meditative, transcendent quality to seeing the horizon line each day, which I've found has helped me explore new depths of creativity. The sea beckons you to explore it, it roots you in the moment, and the waves are a reminder of the passing of time.

People

The People In Your Neighbourhood

I love everyone. My family lives in a very multicultural and diverse neighbourhood, and it makes me reflect on how people of different backgrounds come together, what merges people, and how we can break thoughts and patterns that divide us. I think that starts with children, education, and creating environments that invite opportunities for interaction - ever so gently nudging people together to form bonds. We build the neighbourhoods that we want to live in.

Places

Walpole Bay Tidal Pool

Walpole Bay Tidal Pool is on the beach at the end of the road where we live in Cliftonville, Margate. It's the largest tidal pool in the UK — four acres (16187 sqm) in extent, 137m long, 92m wide at sea, 167m wide at land, 2.13m deep, and containing seven million gallons of seawater. It's a testament to coastal engineering and working with natural systems to provide a space for leisure and communion. It's a perfect example of building unique public spaces that bring people together. The beach is currently delisted for bathing but this doesn't stop the pool's attraction. It's also the first place I ever wore waders.

Things

Distiller

Distillation is the process of separating the component or substances from a liquid mixture by selective evaporation and condensation. I'm obsessed with it. Evidence of distillation comes from as far back as alchemists working in Alexandria, Roman Egypt, in the 1st century. For me it's the gateway to exploration - the discovery of what one can extract and what holds a scent. An endless voyage.

Thoughts

Seaweed Plastic

My wife, our 3 year old daughter, and I have made it our mission to rid our lives of plastic waste. I'm currently working on a new product inspired by this mission - a locally sourced and made biodegradable plastic. The plan is to use a sustainable commodity found here in Margate, which is seaweed. We can turn storm wash into a mouldable form and create a product that the our community can use as plates, cups, containers - even buckets and spades! The idea is that these items will not only serve the neighbourhood but the plastic manufacturing itself will generate a local industry, creating new jobs and opportunities that are environmentally responsible.

Wildism

Plankton

Prochlorococcus and other ocean phytoplankton are responsible for 70 percent of Earth’s oxygen production. That's nearly every second breath you take. What this means is that the ocean is imperative to our survival as a species, and we need to start making real, global movements towards caring for it and enlightening others towards its ensuring its safety.