For day 18 in our Bleep advent series, we’re offering a special deal on our recent collaboration with designer Ciaran Birch. Ciaran designed three limited-edition T-shirts and prints as part of the ‘Mortal Landscapes’ project and here we’re offering the chance to grab a T-shirt and all three prints for a discounted price. Also, check out our interview with Ciaran below to get additional insight into the project.

Bleep: Could you tell us a bit about the idea for Mortal Landscapes?

Ciaran: The ideas behind the designs were initially created as a sort of homage to the late British artist Paul Nash and his emotional, pastoral view of the English countryside. I was already visiting sites near my home. such as Wittenham Clumps and the Uffington Horse, in order to best understand Nash’s worship of them.

The landscape offered him a form of escapism: much like music in most people. ‘Aerial Flowers’ is the title of an essay by Nash that acts as a reflection of his imagination and desire to immerse himself within nature. The title of this work - Mortal Landscapes - is a comment on the cyclical life of our landscapes and humanity’s yearning to dominate it: themes which pervade the artist’s work.

Neolithic English land art, heraldic imagery and naturalistic icons collide with a conventional modernist aesthetic to become raised above their antiquated connotations and evoke the views that Nash had harboured.

I really just want these images and messages to serve as a catalyst for larger interest and appreciation for English heritage and natural stewardship.

What is it about this style of iconography that you find interesting?

The illustrations are all drawn in the style of modernist logos and corporate identities, which are an extremely effective example of how to condense an images complexity without sacrificing its meaning. I guess I find this style particularly interesting in this context because it seems unorthodox and completely immediate.

The rigid structure in the prints, for instance, compartmentalises the drawings in a similar fashion to a manuscript; the iconography is given a certain hierarchical importance.

Could you tell us a bit about your design process?

I have yet to lock-in what my design process is, haha. A lot of what I make is driven by a brief, intense research stage followed by intense periods of sitting in front of my desk piecing together all of my ideas - with lots of walks and runs in between for my sanity. Oh and lots of coffee too.

What inspires you?

As of this point in time, I have found that I am inspired by anything associated with ‘world-building’ and this kind-of childlike imaginative escapism. There is something about controlling every aspect of an ‘unreal’ world that I find really satisfying.

Somebody recently pointed me towards the Kibbo Kift, a tribe of middle-class arty kids that set out to create a new movement based on craft and self-sufficiency. The artwork and objects created by the group are just the most amazing modern artefacts that I’m sure have inspired the aesthetics of the years following its conception.

What music have you been into lately?

Getting really into Jan Dukes de Grey at the moment: great for the tube. Also loving the recent Moa Pillar. Sunareht’s Sagas EP is on constant play. That Utah Saints song with the Kate Bush vocals has also been on heavy rotation as well lol.

What are your plans for 2020?

My plans for 2020 are just to keep positive and build on my freelance practice. And also to start running competitively again.

Which is your favourite Bleep x Ciaran Birch item?

Favourite item has to be the White Horse tee, a little nod to XTC.