Our ORIGIN STORY

A neurodivergent scientist and cultural communicator, Rich has spent his life studying - and reconnecting - the deep continuities of humans and nature. To do so, Rich traversed some of the most extreme natural and intellectual environments on Earth. But let us not get ahead of ourselves: this story of sequential transformations begins in the residual patchwork of backwoods, baywaters and cranberry bogs of coastal New England. 

With the earliest inclinations of a wild child, Rich ingested the light and loam of coastal New England habitats: the smell of pine-duff warming in the sun, the glacial grit between his teeth, the chill of winter-wet socks. Doing so instilled a phenomenology of belonging.

As he grew beyond childhood, Rich’s predisposition toward the animate world also grew. Instead of attending high school, Rich worshiped the fecund Atlantic. Her green pelagic pulses thwarted any academic ambitions. As a teen, surfing was his religion and he prayed daily.

Before the rhythms of maturity could set in, Rich’s sea ilk landed him on the deck of a commercial fishing trawler. It was there, on a fateful day on Stellwagen Bank, when he hooked an 800-pound bluefin tuna. Looking deeply into the fish’s dying eye, the tuna “spoke” to Rich, rekindling the affections of his inner child and saving him from the undertow of the commercial fishing industry. A curiosity was reignited that, this time, would carry Rich around the world. 

To understand the wonders of the planet in as many ways possible, Rich returned to school and applied his fluency with the natural world toward a career as a scientist. Fieldwork brought him to the Caribbean, across Africa (literally, on foot), up Kilimanjaro (as a guide, 11x), into the jungle (where he lived for six years, learning the land’s language as well as Swahili), throughout the Mississippi River Valley, and sailing research vessels in the open ocean. However, after years of such fieldwork, Rich found himself at the bottom of the well of science. There, he discovered no secret mandate nor means to explain the whispers he still heard daily between “inner” and “outer” worlds. Due to the (important, necessary) principles and practices of Science, his ever-present “phenomenology of belonging” could not be addressed in this sphere.

Staunch in his belief that humanity has lost an effable experience of continuity between what’s personal and natural, Rich partnered a master's in Science Communication with a deeper dive into the art of surfing. Between his studies, Rich applied the mind-body-world fluidity practiced by every serious surfer towards an innovation in surfboard engineering. His development of the "strip and feather" method of building wooden longboards took off in international surfing culture. It was not the first time he collaborated with nature to align human systems with the wisdom of the world, and it would not be his last. 

But Rich was on a mission that necessitated a reach beyond surf culture. Without restoration of our lived-sense of belonging, he observed, humans are incapable of responding to the many maladies that define the Anthropocene. True ecological restoration is a global, psychic task asking to first heal an inherited schism from nature. 

This requires more than Science. This requires emotion, gratitude, wisdom, and love. And, as he would soon be surprised to experience firsthand, this requires Art.

Rich's affair with the world - both geographically and intellectually - continued. Studying in Australia, he earned his PhD in Big History, an up-and-coming field that places human history into the 13.8 billion year story of cosmic evolution. This brought him to Florence, where an experience with a sculpture knocked him to the ground (see: Stendhal Syndrome). Much like the tuna incident, this fanned the flames of Rich’s curiosity. PhD in hand, he went to the UK to figure out how to communicate the confluence of creativity, science, curiosity, gratitude and love in a way that tells our story of belonging. He dove in, studying dramaturgy and working in the entertainment industry in Britain. But it was the peak of the “Crocodile Hunter” era and mainstream media was not ready for such heartfelt follies. 

Once a surfer, always a surfer. Rich returned to his home habitat of the Northeastern US to search for better “waves.” With his 13.8 billion years’ worth of scientific and historical knowledge - and the lived experiences to match - Oika began to clarify. 

Today, Oika is a living philosophy and source of essential wisdom for our time. Having led the charge, Rich is now but one of several dedicated Cultural Creatives who live and express Oika through their work and play. Eclectic collaborative and creative Oika Research projects activate an ameliorative movement of participation and belonging. These projects include, but are not limited to, exhibitions, workshops, courses, public talks, films, podcasts, social media campaigns, residencies, and restoration efforts. 

Through the long and intimate histories of our ancestors’ relationships with the habitats of Earth, every human has access to the creative life-force. Oika invites us all to live every day in participation with this ancient endowment, to apply the creative-life force toward the challenges of our moment. Together we hold the power to address injuries, restore justice, detoxify dominant culture, and put us on a path towards a more realistic, healthy, and hopeful future. Let us share the gifts we’ve been given. 

Dr. Rich Blundell is currently Scientist-in-Residence at the Maria Mitchell Association on Nantucket Island. Learn more about his work at www.richblundell.com