Impressions of the Matter: a Live Brief
Impressions of the Matter is a live, international creative brief. It invites you to respond to a contemporary performance lecture called Storm-Cloud, an unfolding artwork in 39 fragments that echoes and reimagines John Ruskin's 1884 lecture called Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century.
Ruskin’s lecture is considered one of the first to discuss the adverse weather patterns that we now understand to be climate change, a realisation which he came to through close observation of the changes in nature over time. Your responses may be creative, critical, digital, poetic, or performative. They will form part of a growing archive.
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The title of the live brief is drawn from Ruskin's preface to his lecture, where he described his observations as "impressions of the matter." The phrase acknowledges uncertainty, sensory experience, and partial truths. These are qualities that echo through this live brief. But this is not a homage. It is a call to respond, reflect, and remake.
The Invitation
Storm-Cloud began as a performance lecture called Observations of the Sky, a title also borrowed from Ruskin's preface. It was then broken apart and remade under the heading Thrown into Form, another phrase from the same text. The act of re-making is central to this project, and it is now extended to others.
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The lecture, now titled Storm-Cloud, lives online in 39 fragments. Each one is a moment in the storm. A shift. A break. A warning. A question. The fragments include footnotes drawn from the project. They also invite others to contribute.
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You are invited to create new work in response to a passage of your choosing. A drawing. A painting. A photo. A poem. A voice note. A piece of music. A film. A text. A digital artwork. A gesture. A trace. We also encourage responses from observational science disciplines.
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Documentation of selected responses will be published as footnotes beneath each section in the live archive. For example, a short film, or a photograph of a 2D artwork, such as a sculpture. Documentation may also be incorporated into a video projection of the lecture in the physical exhibition at the Ruskin Collection, Millennium Gallery, Sheffield Museums, UK, which will run throughout 2026.
How it works
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Read/Watch/Listen to the performance lecture: ​Explore the Lecture →
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Choose a passage that speaks to you. A phrase. A section. A single word.
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Respond using your own voice, medium, and method. Work individually or in groups. Think critically, creatively, or experimentally.
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If you are taking part as a school university, class, collective, or artist, please let us know. We will acknowledge your involvement and offer support, links, or potential connections.
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Host your own screening, showcase, discussion, or online event. Reflect on the process and curate a selection of works to represent your response.
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Email a small number of works (or documentation of your event) for possible inclusion in the online lecture archive. Selected works will be added as footnotes beneath the section that inspired them.
Timeline
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September 2025: Live brief launches
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September 2025 to. May 2026: Submissions welcomed
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January to November 2026: Ruskin exhibition runs at the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
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Throughout 2026: Selected contributions incorporated into the online lecture and the exhibition's projection.
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During the exhibition period: Opportunities for visits, talks, workshops, and other activities.
This international live brief is developed in collaboration with Moot Works, Future Now at Sheffield Hallam University, the Guild of St George, and Sheffield Museums, with additional partners to be announced.
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The Storm-Cloud exhibition at the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield, is being developed by Ashley Gallant (Curator of the Ruskin Collection), in collaboration with Ella Barrett (Bantu Archive Programme/White Teeth), and Amy Carter Gordon, Jake Goodall, and Tom Payne (Sheffield Hallam University).
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We are pleased to acknowledge the courses, collectives, practitioners, and researchers currently engaging with Impressions of the Matter.
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This list will grow over time as more participants begin to explore the Storm-Cloud brief and share their responses.
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If you're taking part and would like to be listed, please contact us.
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Listed alphabetically:
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Acting and Performance (BA Hons), Sheffield Hallam University
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Digital Media Production (BA Hons), Sheffield Hallam University
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Drama at the University of Saskatchewan
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Environmental Management (MSc), Sheffield Hallam University
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Fine Art (BA Hons), University of Lincoln
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Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA)
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The National Saturday Club, Sheffield Museums
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Turntable Gallery, Grimsby