Julian Bishop – Architect

I have adopted the Green Man logo because it succinctly embodies the idea of our Oneness with the Earth. This interdependence and its finite and fragile nature dictates that we must live sustainably and with responsibility upon it if we are to survive as a species.

Only since the industrial revolution and with the apparent power that we have gained with its technology, have we mistakenly believed that we can be separate from the rest of the natural world, and that its careful stewardship is of no consequence.

The Green Man image in its infinite variety has been at the heart of western cultures and folk tradition since time immemorial. It represents a fusion between the spirit of nature and the soul of mankind, which has transcended religious and geographical boundaries, also appearing in it’s more abstract form in Muslim art.

It is not a coincidence that the Green Man is to be found adorning many of our most famous examples of architecture from Chartres Cathedral to Celtic Ireland at Cardonagh in more humble form.

This particular image is of the Green Man of Bamberg, Germany, and this photograph has been reproduced with kind permission of my photographer friend, Clive Hicks, which is taken from William Anderson’s book “Green Man – The Archetypes of our Oneness with the Earth” published by Harper Collins.