Robert Rivers is an artist and papermaker. He has recently been researching the connection between experimental papermakers at the beginning of the nineteenth century and their relationship to a changing environment. He is developing ways to adapt these historic processes to reflect his own surroundings, using raw materials such as stinging nettles and straw. A new focus has been the materials of the river, working with freshwater algae as a papermaking material that can be used to map and highlight the health of waterways.
Robert was Honorary Research Fellow with the Material Research Project at the Slade School of Art (2021-2022), during which time he initiated his papermaking research and led a number of workshops. Recent talks include River Paper: Algae, Aquatic Plants and Papermaking given to the London Freshwater Group at the Linnean Society (2024) and Yellow Paper, Pulping Straw as part of A day of Colour and Poetry hosted by ColArt at Elephant West (2023). Recent Exhibitions include Old Light at Kennington Library (2024) and Viewfinding at Sapling Gallery, Conduit Street (2023). Robert studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL (2011-2013) and The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University (2002-2005).