Artist: Polly Meyrick
Residency Period: May – December 2024
Commissioned by: Regen Art Lab
Mediums: Ink portraiture, documentary film, storytelling
We Are All People of Power is a striking portrait and film series created by artist Polly Meyrick during her residency with Regen’s Art Lab programme. The project celebrates eight individuals in Devon who are quietly and powerfully shaping the transition to a low-carbon future—through cycling, farming, public engagement, and community energy.
Combining hand-drawn ink portraits with recorded interviews, Polly invites viewers to connect with the people behind climate action and see themselves as part of the story.
Although community energy has been around for decades, many people still don’t know it exists—let alone that they could get involved. Even Polly, active in Exeter’s environmental and agroecological networks, had never come across it before this project.
Too often, artistic commissions are treated as one-off engagement moments. This project sought to challenge that dynamic—offering a longer-term, visually accessible invitation to take part in the energy transition.
“People pause and look. That’s the start of a deeper engagement.”
— Polly Meyrick, Artist-in-Residence
Polly’s methodology involved deep listening and relationship-building. She conducted recorded interviews with each of the eight participants and then translated their presence into powerful, layered portraits using alder-based ink—chosen for its earth connection.
She developed a theory of change around the role of storytelling and portraiture in building empathy and awareness. Key themes included decentralisation, land use, local knowledge, and resilience—mirroring her existing interests in agroecology and food justice.
“I was taken by the humanitarian focus of this project—more of this is needed in the energy space.”
— Audience member at launch
Feedback from attendees highlighted the depth of connection and emotional accessibility of the work:
“The film was so moving—it really got me thinking differently.”
“Beautiful portraits. You could feel the care and respect in them.”
“I loved learning about these people—I didn’t know community energy was a thing.”
The artworks have been displayed at National Grid's South West Community Energy Conference in Taunton, The South West Green Energy awards in Bristol, and Regen's In Conversation with Chris Stark event in London
Polly is currently seeking funding to tour the exhibition across Devon, with a focus on longer-term placements in community venues such as libraries, energy hubs, and climate events. Regen is using the learning from this residency to design future commissions that embed artistic practice more deeply into local energy storytelling.
The project also demonstrated how arts-based methodologies can build public literacy around infrastructure, energy policy, and everyday action.
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