Alan Raw

Alan Raw is an Irish environmental artist, author and composer, based on the Yorkshire coast and working internationally. His work evolves from sustained immersion in specific environments — coastal, estuarine, rural and urban — through field recording, hydrophones, radio, Earth observation, ecological fieldwork and action research, supported by photography, field sketching and writing.

His recordings are transformed through RAW SAS-1 (Sound Art Studio), a bespoke software synthesis environment that he coded for spatial audio installations and live performance under the name Loosetriggers.

He is the author of the climate fiction novel Salt & Seeds (Grokkist Press), now in an extended edition, and his nonfiction book To Sustainability and Beyond (Grokkist Press), a practical guide to environmental responsibility in the space sector.

For 21 years he worked for the BBC as a presenter, producer, broadcast journalist, live sound engineer and music photographer, co-founding BBC Introducing and, later, BBC Eco-Time highlighting climate action. Alan hosted more than 2,000 live sessions and personally engineering Yungblud’s first radio session, before featuring him on BBC festival stages.

Since 1993 Raw has worked on more than 120 exhibitions, including directing the Hull International Photography Festival (2014–2023), and curating Photocity London and exhibitions for three European Capitals of Culture.

He is acting CTO of Humber Natural Capital, applying creative coding and satellite Earth observation to biodiversity and marine stewardship, and in 2025 he received an Honorary Doctorate for Sustainability & Creative Practice from the University of Hull.

He is currently engaged on an MA in Creative Practice with Plymouth Marjon University, developing immersive environmental sound installations from field recordings around the North Sea/Nord Zee basin, and continues to facilitate workshops, writing salons and climate storytelling sessions.

Affiliations

RSA Fellowship Councillor for Northern England · Co-founder – RSA Space Network · RSA Playful Green Planet Champion · Director – Association of Sustainability Practitioners · Fellow – Schumacher Institute · Mentor – Ascend-2-Space Mission. Member of the Grokkist Network, The Permaculture Association, IPFA, and Artists’ Union England.

Interviews