This talk is replacing the one which was originally advertised at this time, by Peter Randall-Page, who has had to cancel due to ill health. Please see explanatory note below.

One of the most innovative artists working with place and pre-history anywhere, Robin Sullivan works with clay, stone and other materials to make deeply personal and engaging social artworks that bridge sculpture and performance. His multi-faceted practice navigates the rich intersections of landscape, history, identity and community, and is rooted in deep engagement with the pre-historic British Isles.

Robin’s identity as a queer, neuro-diverse, and mentally disabled artist has given them a different perspective on landscape and the culture it creates, seeing landscape not as a backdrop but as a collaborator, an active participant in shaping memory, culture and the self. They are currently working on a major public commission for Newquay – creating 3 new megaliths for the town that incorporate casts of over 400 small sections of local places nominated by the people of Newquay – recreating the ancient connection between people and stone in a new way. Robin has previously worked on Dartmoor, recreating Iron Age ceramics as part of an archaeological dig at Hembury.

Robin will be in conversation with Dr Alex Murdin, an environmental artist and producer, also working with ideas of how to connect personally and socially to landscapes of stone.

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Note from Dartmoor Tors Festival organisers, Sophie Pierce and Alex Murdin:
“We very much regret that Peter Randall-Page has had to cancel his appearance at the Dartmoor Tors Festival this year due to ill health. We of course wish him all the best and hope to see him next year. We do apologise for any inconvenience this may cause
In his place we have managed to arrange a talk by young sculptor and ceramicist Robin Sullivan.
Robin has been very much inspired by Peter's art and the same landscapes of stone that Peter loves. One of the most innovative artists working with place and pre-history anywhere, Robin works with
clay, stone and other materials to make deeply personal and engaging social artworks that bridge sculpture and performance. This multifaceted practice navigates the rich intersections of landscape,
history, identity and community, and is rooted in deep engagement with the pre-historic British Isles.


Original event description:
During the past 40 years artist Peter Randall-Page has gained an international reputation through his sculpture, drawings and prints; his carvings in stone are often at massive scale and in public places. Peter has lived and worked on Dartmoor for many years. His practice has always been informed and inspired by the study of natural phenomena and its subjective impact on our emotions. In recent years his work has become increasingly concerned with the underlying principles determining growth and the forms it produces. In his words “geometry is the theme on which nature plays her infinite variations, and can be seen as a kind of pattern book on which the most complex and sophisticated structures are based.”

Peter's work is held in public and private collections throughout the world including Japan, South Korea, Australia, USA, Turkey, Eire, Germany and the Netherlands. A selection of his public sculptures can be found in many urban and rural locations throughout the UK including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge and his work is in the permanent collections of the Tate Gallery and the British Museum amongst others.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Plymouth in 1999, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from York St John University in 2009, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Exeter University in 2010, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Bath Spa University in 2013. In June 2015 Peter was elected as a Royal Academician in the category of sculpture.

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This is part of the second Dartmoor Tors Festival, happening at various places around Dartmoor from 30 April – 3 May 2026. Tickets for festival events at Ashburton Arts Centre are all available at wegottickets.com/dartmoortorsfestival2026. All of the festival goings on are listed at dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk.



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